


Chemistry

by DeadlyGlacier



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Don't you worry, F/M, First Time, It'll get spicier though, Pinako being a dirty grandmother, Post-Promised Day, Pre-Relationship, Somewhat Parental Roy, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:00:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29277366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadlyGlacier/pseuds/DeadlyGlacier
Summary: A look at how the relationship between Ed and Winry developed after Brotherhood ended.Cute, sweet, funny, and hot (eventually—y'all that know me know I gotta have some NSFW in there).
Relationships: Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell
Comments: 43
Kudos: 75





	1. Dopamine

_ This is my first FullMetal Alchemist fic, guys, so be gentle with me. I binged both series over the last couple of weeks, and I loved it. No idea why it took me so long to watch it, but I’m glad I did. Hopefully you like this story _ _ —let me know in the comments! _

**Chemistry**

_ Part I: Dopamine _

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

“There you go, boy,” Winry said cheerfully as she finished tightening a bolt on Den’s automail leg. “I bet that feels better, huh?” The dog let out a soft mewl in response, nudging her hand with his head. She set her wrench down and scratched behind his ears with both hands, to which he happily received. The metal leg she’d just been working on started to tap at the ground in his enjoyment, and she giggled. “Alright, buddy, go on now. Go play for a bit,” Winry said, getting up.

She stretched in her greasy coveralls, letting out a long, relaxed sigh through her nose. She smiled to herself when she relaxed, her eyes going over to the pile of letters from Ed on her desk. While he didn’t call that often (because the phone charges from the west were high), she had to give credit that he wrote her plenty after nearly ten months away. She got at least one letter a week. She didn’t recall him ever doing that when he and Al were on their search for the Philosopher’s Stone all those years ago, so it was definitely  _ something. _

She’d had to remind herself of that whenever she got one of his letters, because she often found herself reading them too fast, her eyes scanning the contents for something related to what he’d said to her before he left—but there was nothing, and there was always a twinge of disappointment after she got to the last of the words he wrote. So she would remind herself:  _ He took the time to write to me. That has to mean something. _

Winry smiled to herself, recalling his hilariously awkward proposal to her at the train station that day, and her own hilariously awkward response. She liked replaying it in her head, the silly look on his face as he blurted out his feelings in alchemical terms—and then after she responded, when he held her close…

They didn’t talk about that moment again—on the phone or in letters—so some of her disappointment was her own fault for not being brave enough to bring it up herself. If they spoke on the phone, it was brief and cheerful. They talked about the strides he made in his research, or laughed about customers she had at home. In their letters, it was more of the same, just in greater detail. Sometimes he would write about things she might light to see on his travels, machinery he thought she’d like to tinker with and offer to send her way. Sometimes she would write about their neighbors and send along their well-wishes to him.

On her last letter, though, she’d been brave enough to sign it  _ ‘Always yours, Winry,’  _ as well as leave a post script that said,  _ ‘I miss you.’ _ She hoped those small words would get the ball rolling, so to speak.

She hoped.

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

Ed sat in his seat on the train restlessly, bouncing his metal leg at a nervous speed. It creaked in protest of the movement. He sighed, stopping—it needed oiling, but he was out of the kind Winry liked to use on him. 

He was on his way to give Winry a surprise visit, unable to get the end of her last letter out of his mind.

_ Always yours, Winry. _

_ I miss you. _

His face reddened and one of his hands came to cover his eyes when he replayed the stupid way he proposed in his head. In the two years after the Promised Day, she and Ed had danced around the idea of becoming something more, something romantic—always in little awkward moments here and there. Their hands brushing against each other accidentally, catching the other staring—it was all shy glances and missed opportunities. The morning he left, the thought of leaving Winry behind without telling her how he felt kept nagging him, biting him at the back of his mind. He’d bottled it down, kept it to himself until he had one foot in the train. At that moment, the idea of some other man coming into her automail shop and sweeping her off her feet came rushing to him.  _ ‘If you don’t say something now, you’ll risk regretting it for the rest of your life,’ _ he told himself, and that led to him turning around and blurting out his idiotic proposal. But bless the woman for not bursting out in laughter and turning him down on the spot. Not only had she _ not _ turned him down, but she offered her entire life in exchange for his.

That made him smile, remembering the light blush on her cheeks when she realized what she’d said. He could only hope to be able to offer the same to her soon. He’d made a lot of interesting discoveries in the west, and even set up a small team of associates for himself to help him with his research. 

Still though, for all the fascinating things alchemy research had to offer, he found his mind returning to Winry more and more often. And when he read her last letter, it’s what drove him to get a train ticket right away and surprise her—because what better way is there to respond to the person you love when they tell you they miss you?

And it wasn’t like he didn’t miss her—just the opposite, in fact. When his nose wasn’t deep in his work, he’d be walking around the various cities and towns he visited, thinking of things he’d like to show Winry. If he had space in his luggage, he’d have brought her armfuls of different trinkets and doodads for her to take apart and put together again, books of new recipes she might want to try (and for him to taste), or… flowers that reminded him of Resembool, flowers that Winry might like.

Instead, in his single briefcase (that he hastily packed before he left his tiny apartment) was a small box made of blue velvet, the bundle of all the letters Winry wrote back to him, and a thick stack of thorough notes he took during the most humiliating phone call he’d ever had to make in his life…

...to none other than General Roy Mustang.

_ “FullMetal,” Mustang greeted, somewhat surprised. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your call… at almost midnight on a Wednesday?” _

_ Ed cursed to himself under his breath. He’d spent too long pacing and looking at his telephone before finally picking it up to call him. “Oh, damn I’m sorry—” He paused, wondering how to address his former commanding officer now that Ed didn’t work for him anymore. “Sir,” he added finally, resigning to the old standard. It would feel odd to call him by his first name, or even Mustang. “I should have checked the time before I called,” Ed continued with a regretful sigh. _

_ “No, it’s quite alright,” Mustang assured him. “I’m staying up late these days.” _

_ “Heh, I imagine so,” Ed said with a slight smirk. He cleared his throat, trying to get back to the topic he’d called him for, “I was wondering… Well, first—is this a secure line? You’re not with anyone else right now that might overhear?” _

_ At once Mustang’s easy, amused tone changed to his serious, former-Colonel-turned-General voice, “What is it? What’s happened? I’ve been assured my direct line is beyond secure, Ed. Speak freely.” _

_ “It’s not anything like that!” Ed said quickly, panicked. “Sorry, it’s just… It’s kind of a private, personal issue I was hoping to talk about.” _

_ “Oh,” Mustang said, his voice relaxing again. “Okay then. Still, speak freely.” _

_ Ed took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “I need… I need some—” Help? Assistance? “Advice,” he decided. He cleared his throat again, “Er… woman advice.” _

_ “Oh really?” the General asked curiously. Ed could practically hear the smarmy grin on his face and smacked himself in the forehead. “I guess I’m flattered you chose to call me for this, FullMetal.” _

_ “Don’t get too excited,” Ed told him, annoyed. “I really don’t know that many men to talk to, at least ones that haven’t tried to kill me over the years. Or women, for that matter. It was between you, Havoc, and Teacher.” _

_ Mustang guffawed, “I can see how I’m the least objectionable option in that trio.” _

_ “So you understand, then.” _

_ He was still laughing, “I do.” When he recovered, he asked, “Well, what do you want to know?” _

_ Ed went into a brief explanation about what happened before he left for his trip, but kept the exact details of his proposal vague to avoid as much embarrassment as he could. “So we’re kind of unofficially-official, if that makes sense,” he finished. _

_ “I see,” Mustang affirmed. “Congratulations are in order, I suppose. Good for you, Ed.” _

_ “Thank-you,” he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. _

_ “And I trust I’ll receive an invitation to the ceremony whenever you set a date?” the General asked pointedly. _

_ There was no getting around it, especially if Mustang was willing to help him. “Of course, sir,” Ed said, nodding pointlessly with the receiver on his ear. “So… We exchange letters pretty often, and in her last one she told me she missed me—I’m planning on surprising her, but…” _

_ “But…?” Mustang urged curiously. _

_ Ed’s face reddened, “I haven’t, er… We haven’t…” _

_ “Ah,” he said, realizing at once. _

_ “So I was hoping we could when I get back, but I’ve, um… I’ve actually never…” _

_ “Oh,” Mustang said, surprised. _

_ His face was burning, “I mean, we haven’t even kissed—” _

_ “You proposed to a woman you haven’t even kissed?” Mustang said, his voice going back to amused again. _

_ “So we did it a little backwards!” Ed said defensively. “I bet there’s a lot of women out there that would find that romantic!” _

_ “Easy there, FullMetal,” the General chided gently. “It’s just surprising to hear.” _

_ “Yeah, well,” Ed grumbled. “You gotta remember, General—I’m a small-town country kid. We both are. It might have been different if we grew up in a city somewhere with lots of different people around us…” He trailed off, and a few moments later he admitted, “Winry would be my first… my first everything—first kiss, first love, first… you know.” He bit his lip, shrugging, “And if I’m lucky, she’ll be my only.” _

_ Mustang was quiet for a long time. _

_ “What?” Ed asked, annoyed again. He felt anxious being so open with a man he spent his teenage years despising half the time. “You sitting there laughing at me?” _

_ “No, Ed, I’m not laughing at you,” Mustang said finally. There was something strange about his voice. “Actually, I… I think that’s very admirable of you. Of the both of you.” _

_ “Oh,” he said. “Well, thank you.” _

_ He heard Mustang clear his throat on the other end. “So you need to know a bit of everything, then?” _

_ Ed nodded again, and then answered, “Yeah. I mean, I’ve studied all kinds of anatomy texts over the years, but only in the alchemy or medical sense. I need a more… testimonial education, I guess.” _

_ “Well, alright then,” Mustang said. “You’re going to want some paper and a pen…” _

_ Ed spent the next couple of hours frantically scribbling everything Mustang told him, asking the occasional questions when he could get a word in (“You can  _ **_do_ ** _ that?”, “Does that happen every time, or…?”, “And I can get that at a pharmacy, too?”, etc).  _

_ “But like I say, Ed,” Mustang was saying as they were finishing up, “the first time is probably going to be awkward for you, specifically. It’s more important that you make sure she’s comfortable at all times, because contrary to what a lot of other men might say, it is _ **_not_ ** _ supposed to hurt for her—she shouldn’t bleed, cry in pain, or anything like that. If you follow what I’ve told you to the letter, you should be fine.” _

_ Ed finished his last sentence on the paper, setting his pen down. “Okay,” he said, letting out a breath. _

_ “I  _ **_mean_ ** _ it, Ed,” Mustang said firmly. “No soldier of mine—whether they’re in active duty or retired—is going to be known as some kind of predator. Do you understand me?” _

_ “Absolutely, sir,” he said earnestly. “I would never want to hurt Winry. Ever.” _

_ “Good,” the General said, satisfied. “Otherwise I’d be forced to catch the first train to Resembool and arrest you myself. Then I’d have you executed.” _

_ Ed snorted, “God damn, I get it.” _

_ “I’d put your head on a spike.” _

_ “I believe you!” he said loudly. _

_ “Good,” he said again. “I expect a full report next week, FullMetal.” _

_ Ed gaped, “What?! I don’t work for you anymore, you bastard! And besides I would nev—” _

_ Mustang chuckled, “I’m just kidding—but really, I  _ **_will_ ** _ execute you if you hurt that girl.” _

_ He sighed heavily, putting a hand over his tired eyes, “As you should… I need to get to bed, General. Thank you for your advice.” _

_ “Of course, Ed,” Mustang said gently. “In all seriousness, I do hope it goes well for you. Good luck, FullMetal.” _

_ “Thanks, Colonel.” _

_ “That’s  _ **_General_ ** _ to you!” _

_ “Whatever!” _

Ed had studied the notes backwards and forwards ever since that conversation, and did so on the train until he noticed more and more people filling his car. He put them away for fear of someone reading the pages over his shoulder. Now, he simply spent the remaining time of his trip counting the minutes until he could be walking up that old dirt road to the Rockbell’s.

_ I’m almost home, Winry. _

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

Winry had started to snooze at her bedroom desk when she heard footsteps downstairs. Granny had already gone to bed, and the steps themselves sounded far too heavy for them to be hers. Carefully, she turned off the desk lamp and abandoned her current project, save for the heavy wrench she kept in her fist as a weapon, and then silently crept into the upstairs hallway.

She hid herself in the shadow behind the stairway bannister, the only light coming from the moon shining through the small window towards the ceiling. The intruder made their way upstairs, seemingly trying to keep their footsteps quiet. Winry narrowed her eyes, watching their figure move through the dark. She raised the wrench, knowing her aim was as true as it ever had been.

Right as the intruder made it to the top of the steps and into the sliver of moonlight, Winry launched the wrench as hard as she could at their head.

She realized her mistake right as it made contact and she gasped in horror as she saw a familiar blonde ponytail swish about before its owner tumbled back down the stairs, a loud string of curses escaping him on the way down.

Winry rushed to the top of the stairs to see Ed groaning in pain at the bottom, flat on his back with his briefcase still in hand. Den started barking, waking from his slumber in the kitchen.

She ran down to him and helped him sit up, “Oh Ed, I’m so sorry! I thought it was an intruder, I didn’t know it was  _ you!” _

Ed laughed, holding his side in pain as he wheezed, “It’s good you didn’t know it was me—otherwise I might have died.”

Winry managed a laugh and hugged him around the neck, somewhat awkwardly considering their current positions, “You should have called first, you idiot.”

“Yeah, I’m getting that,” he said, the wind still knocked out of him. “I was trying to surprise you. I got your letter…”

“What the hell is all this racket?!” Granny yelled from her open bedroom door. She was in her nightgown glaring at the two of them on the landing.

Ed gave a weak wave, “Hey Pinako… Sorry to wake you.”

She rolled her eyes, “Good to see you, Edward. You two at least try to be quiet now.” She closed her bedroom door with a wink at her granddaughter.

Winry blushed and looked down as she helped Ed get to his feet, “Okay, Granny.” She smoothed her hair, trying to make herself look presentable. She was wearing her black tube top and coveralls tied around her waist, and to top it all off she was covered in grease. “I look a complete mess, Ed. I’d have met you at the train station if you called, plus I’d have worn something a little—”

“I like you like this,” Ed blurted. His face was pink. He coughed into his hand and gave a shrug, “Besides, I wanted to surprise you. I got on the first train home once I read your letter…”

Winry smiled up at him, giving a slight giggle, “Well, if that’s all it took for you to come rushing home to me, I’d have said it a long time ago.” Her face reddened. “Months ago,” she corrected.

Ed murmured a soft laugh, taking one of her gloved hands in his, “Yeah, well… Here I am.”

“Are you hungry?” she asked, tilting her head. “I can make something for you.”

He shook his head, waving his other hand, “Oh no, that’s oka—”

As if in protest to his words, Ed’s stomach rumbled loudly.

“Damn you,” Ed said to his stomach.

Winry giggled, “Come on into the kitchen. Let me get cleaned up and I’ll fix something for you, okay?”

Ed smiled, nodding, “Okay Winry.”

She quickly rushed upstairs and showered, scrubbing every bit of black grease from her body. After she dried off, she put on a pair of black sleep shorts and a white t-shirt, doing her best to put the awkward conversation she’d had with her grandmother out of her mind.

_ It was a few weeks ago, before she’d gotten Ed’s last letter. Winry was sitting at the downstairs workbench, sighing as she screwed in a bolt. _

_ “What’s got you down, Winry?” Granny asked. “You keep sighing like that.” _

_ Winry kept her eyes on her project, but went into what happened at the train station before Ed left, and how the both of them never brought it up again in their letters or conversations. _

_ “Hmph,” her grandmother grunted when she finished. Winry could hear her take another puff from her pipe, blowing the smoke out as she leaned against the workbench. “You’re both being stupid,” she said, leaning over so Winry had to look at her. “You’ll never know where you stand unless one of you says something. If you’re that worried about it, you need to be the one to make the move.” _

_ “Why do I have to be the one to make the move?” Winry grumbled, continuing on her project with a glare. “I’m the girl, after all.” _

_ Granny scoffed, “Please! Women make the first move all the time! Lots of men like that, you know—a woman that goes after what she wants, and takes it. I myself was a natural when I was your age.” _

_ Winry sat back in her char, looking down at her grandmother amusedly, finally stopping her work, “Oh really?” _

_ Her grandmother gave her an annoyed look, “Don’t sound so surprised, girl. I may not look it now, but in my younger days I was all legs. Oh, and I had curves, too. Nice big hips, a tight rear, and a perfect set of knockers—I had all the men in town lined up at my door!” _

_ Winry giggled, putting a hand to her face as she smiled, “G-Granny, I—” _

_ “And you favor me in your looks,” she went on, pointing her pipe at her. “You’ve got everything I had and more, dear. You’ve got your mother’s beautiful blonde hair and the stunning blue eyes that your father and grandfather had. So you have every right to be confident and make the first move with Edward.” _

_ Winry’s face had turned pink and she felt shy, “Well, Granny… I—You know I’ve never had a boyfriend… I don’t know anything abou—” _

_ Granny waved a hand, “Oh, that’s easy, Winry. It’s all in the hips. You just climb on top of him and roll them in a circle—drives ‘em wild. The night I made your father, by the time I was done, your grandfather couldn’t walk for an entire week!” _

_ All Winry could do was stammer, “W-Well, I—” _

_ It was no use, her grandmother was on a roll, and she didn’t stop for over an hour. By the time she patted Winry’s arm and walked away whistling, she’d given her granddaughter the most thoroughly horrifying and detailed description of her sex life that left her pale-faced and mouth agape. _

Despite being mentally scarred for life, Winry did try and take her advice to heart. Not only had she braved signing her most recent letter to Ed the way she had, but she also practiced “rolling her hips in a circle” in bed (using a pillow as a proxy, which led to some… interesting nights).

With her body clean and her resolve renewed, Winry went back downstairs, her bare feet patting gently on the hardwood floors. She found Ed at the kitchen table, petting Den with a warm smile on his face. He’d taken his coat off, revealing his simple white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The first two buttons were undone, and she stole a peek at the bit of his skin that was exposed.

“Den missed you too, it seems,” she said with a soft laugh. She grabbed her apron from the hook where it was hung and put it on, tying it securely behind her back. She went to the fridge and looked through the ingredients she had available. “Anything you’re craving right now, Ed? What can I make you?”

She felt him stand and walk up behind her, “Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to go to the trouble of making anything. Really. I’m good with leftovers, if you have any.”

Winry nodded, picking up a metal dish from the bottom rack, “I’ve got some chicken pot pie that I could heat up. How does that sound?” She turned and let the fridge door shut behind her, letting out a little gasp when she saw how close Ed had come to her.

Ed looked down at the foil-covered dish and nodded, “Sounds perfect. I’ll heat the oven for you.” His hand gave one of her arms a little squeeze before he strode over to the oven, setting it to preheat.

Winry set the dish down, uncovering it as she spoke again, “And for dessert, we have some pastries one of my customers gave me. You remember that guy I told you about, who opened a bakery in town with his wife? He’s got an automail leg too, and he sent me a whole box of pastries as an extra thank you for his last maintenance.” She gestured over to a box on the other end of the counter, “There’s all different kinds in there, but all the ones I’ve tried so far have been delicious.”

He leaned against the counter next to her, “That sounds good, too.”

“Speaking of automail legs,” Winry began pointedly with a heated glance towards Ed, “how have you been caring for yours?”

Ed tensed. “It’s a bit squeaky,” he admitted sheepishly. “But I ran out of the oil you like to use on it, and I didn’t want to get another kind because you made me promise to use only that one. N-Not that I’m complaining,” he added quickly. “I just didn’t want to ruin your hard work.”

She shrugged, going back to the pot pie, “I’ll give it a look once you finish eating.”

“Okay,” Ed said, sounding genuinely relieved.

Winry paused, giving him another pointed look, “Just to make sure… you didn’t come back just because you needed oil for your leg, right?”

“Of course not!” he snorted, his face pinkening again. “I came because I missed you, Win.”

She smiled to herself, sliding the dish in the oven, “I’m glad to hear it.” She shut the door for it to heat up, and then she turned, “So, tell me all about the west!”

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

Once he was stuffed to the brim with chicken pot pie and a few chocolate-frosted pastries, Ed went upstairs with Winry and got ready for bed. The food had been excellent, and he told her about his colleagues out west, laughing as he told her funny stories about them. It brought an ease to the tension that was there under the surface. 

He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth (twice, just to be sure), and then found a pair of his old pajama bottoms he’d left behind in the guest room, as well as a thin black t-shirt. He was just finishing changing when a soft knock sounded from his door. When he opened it he found Winry on the other side, her cheeks glowing pink and her blue eyes staring up at him shyly.

“Ed, um,” she said softly. “Do you… Do you want to come to my room?”

Ed felt his face burn hot, and he stammered, “Uh, I—”

“N-Not like that!” Winry exclaimed, waving her hands quickly. “J-Just to sleep, I mean.”

“In your bed?” he asked, his voice sounding high. “With you?”

She looked down and away, “If you want. We don’t have to if you don’t—”

“No, no!” Ed insisted, closing his bedroom door behind him. “I want to. Come on.”

They crossed the hall and entered her room. “It’s just that we haven’t talked about—” Winry shut her door. “We haven’t talked about what you said at the train station in all this time. Well, what  _ we _ said.” She gave a kind of half-shrug, “I just… I just didn’t know where we stood, you know? If you… If you still wanted me.”

Horrified, Ed quickly (but gently) took her forearms in his hands. “Winry,” he said earnestly. “Of course I still want you. I’ve—” he felt his face burning again, “I’ve wanted you for a long time.”

“Really?” Her wide blue eyes stared up at him, and he felt his heart pounding.

Ed nodded, “Yeah. Longer than you know… I should have said something sooner than the train station, I know that. I don’t know what I was so scared of after surviving the Promised Day, but—”

Winry’s hand came up to touch his cheek. Her palm felt cool on his flushed skin. “You were scared?” she asked, amused.

He managed a soft laugh, “Yeah, I really was… And that’s why I kept it bottled up for so long, until that day at the train station. The second I had a foot on it, I got this image of some tall, faceless idiot coming into your shop with his fancy hair and pretty words to woo you—”

_ “Woo  _ me?” Winry repeated with a giggle, lifting an eyebrow.

Ed was too wrapped up in the thought to notice her amusement, and continued, “And he’d sweep you off your feet to some rich town somewhere far away to live with him and the rest of his family who are all seven-feet tall, with their fancy hair and poetry—”

Winry was laughing now, her head resting on his chest as he held her, still ranting. “Seven-feet, really?” she said with a grin.

“And it would have been  _ awful, _ Winry, the idea of you in the arms of some jerk who doesn’t even know the first thing about you…” He sighed, holding her tight, “I mean, we’ve known each other too long and been through too much together, and I love you too much to let you slip away like that.”

Winry stilled.

“S-So that’s why I proposed in that ridiculous way,” he finished lamely. He looked down at her, seeing her eyes had gone wide, “What?”

She smiled up at him, “You just said you loved me.”

His face, perpetually hot, grew even hotter. Ed cleared his throat, “Yeah, I did.  _ I do. _ Don’t you know that by now?”

Winry grinned, “I think I did… but it’s nice to hear it.”

“Oh,” Ed said, cupping her cheek. “Well… I love you.”

She rolled her eyes, “I love you too, you idiot. Now kiss me already.”

Ed’s laugh was caught by her lips when she pulled him down to her by his shirt, and she sighed when his own lips responded. He tried to remember the things Mustang told him as he kissed her back, an arm going around her waist and his fingers running into her scalp. Her hair was still slightly damp from her shower, and there was some kind of spicy-sweet scented product in it that made him groan softly. It felt  _ good  _ to kiss her, and for her to kiss him back. Why hadn’t anyone _ told  _ him?! 

When Winry’s arms circled around the back of his neck, Ed felt her ample chest press into his, the soft peaks of her nipples beginning to pebble underneath her shirt. “Winry,” he breathed. The room went blurry. Winry ran her fingers ran into the base of his ponytail, right at the base of his neck, and he shivered in her arms. She kissed him again, murmuring into his mouth, hungry for more.

She began to urge him toward the bed, and he stepped backward, trying to feel his way to it without breaking from her. He fell onto it a little clumsily, sitting on the edge of it. He laughed softly before Winry straddled his lap and started tugging at the base of his shirt, trying to lift it over his head.

“W-Wait,” Ed said, breathless. “S-Slow down.”

Winry stopped right away, settling against his lap. “Sorry,” she said, her own breaths coming short and shallow. Her lips were swollen, and Ed found himself wanting them again.

“It’s okay,” he assured her, nodding. “I’ve just… I’ve never done this before.”

“Any of this?” she asked, surprised. “Like, even just now?”

Ed blushed, squeezing his eyes in embarrassment, “No…”

He heard Winry let out a breath, “I’m actually pretty relieved to hear that, honestly.”

He looked back up at her, “Really? Why?”

She bit her lip, giving one of her half-shrugs, “Well, all this time, I thought maybe you had. I mean, you spent so many years travelling around, meeting all kinds of people… all kinds of women…”

Ed murmured a soft laugh, hugging Winry around her waist, “No. Nothing like that. Al and I were so focused on our goal back then. Any times I thought about something like this, you were always the person that came to mind. No one else.” He laughed again, “And it’s not like I got any alone time, either. I was almost always with Al.”

A corner of her mouth turned up, and her thumb stroked his cheek, “You were too busy being a good brother.”

He nodded, hugging her tight around the waist and then buried his face into her stomach. “And I only had eyes for my ridiculously hot mechanic,” he admitted, muffled by Winry’s shirt. When he looked back up at her, her face had turned pink again.

She bit her lip, her fingers running into his bangs, “Well… do you want to…?”

“Hell yeah, I want to,” Ed insisted, squeezing her. “But I also don’t want to disappoint you…”

Winry frowned and cupped his face in her hands, sinking in his lap, “Ed, you won’t disappoint me. I know you too well. But we can take it slow.” She kissed him, “We don’t have to do anything tonight. Let’s just sleep, okay?”

Ed smiled warmly at her, and nodded, “Okay.”

Winry climbed off him and helped him pull down the covers, settling against him. “So,” she said quietly, “what’s the first thing about me?”

Ed quirked an eyebrow, looking down at her as she cuddled into him, “Hm?”

“Before, when you were talking about this mysterious, seven-foot tall suitor you were dreading—you said he wouldn’t know the first thing about me. So, what is it?” she asked with a smirk.

He rubbed the knot on the back of his head, “That you’re deadly with a damn wrench, no matter the size.”

Winry laughed, jabbing him in the side with her elbow, “I’m serious, Ed. C’mon.”

Ed winced a little, but grinned down at her, pulling her close again. “So am I,” he told her, but then he relented. “You’re a good person, Winry—probably the best person I know. You’re tough and honest and generous… Anyone in the world would be lucky to have you in their corner, and the fact you want to be with me is just… I can’t even put it in words, but I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to find the perfect ones, because you deserve someone that knows how special you are and appreciates it. And some random jerk from who-knows-where with a bunch of empty promises isn’t going to—”

She cut him off with a kiss, warm and sweet. He tasted her tongue that time—briefly, but it was enough to make his brain short-circuit. “Well, I don’t want some random jerk from who-knows-where,” Winry told him when she parted from his lips. Her breath was hot against his mouth, “I want  _ you.” _ Her fingers brush his bangs back, and Ed closed his eyes. “You’re a good person too, Ed,” she told him.

“Heh… Well, that means a lot coming from you, Win,” he told her gratefully. “Really.”

“And besides, seven-feet is way too tall,” she said, giggling. “That guy wouldn’t be able to see me from all the way up there.”

Ed nodded, smirking, “Exactly.”  Winry finally settled in his arms, and he nuzzled his face into her hair.

It was good to be home.

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

_ No offense to any seven-foot tall people out there, especially that dude from TikTok. _

_ I’ll write some more parts to this, as well as a separate piece that details Mustangs side of his conversation with Ed. In the meantime, though, please let me know what you think! _

_ Y’all stay safe and healthy, _

_ Glacier _


	2. Serotonin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Winry have a fun morning, and then go out on a picnic—and Ed gets a chance to redeem himself. Also, an important fact about the aftermath of Briggs is revealed to Winry.

_ Things get a bit spicier in this chapter! Let’s get started. _

**Chemistry**

_ Part II: Serotonin _

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

Winry woke up warm with Ed spooning against her back. She hummed pleasantly, stretching as much as she could without disturbing him too much. His chest rose and fell between her shoulder blades with his gentle, sleepy breathing. The memory of pressing herself against it when she kissed him made her smile to herself, biting her lip. Ed had always been muscular, but he was grown now, and he’d really filled out. His shoulders were broader, his features more angular, and his muscles were more defined. All that training and fighting he’d done over the years paid off, apparently.

Kissing him last night had awakened a fire within her. She could appreciate Ed not wanting to do things too fast, but she hoped they wouldn’t wait  _ too _ long. Maybe she could coax him a little…

As she stretched again, her back arched, causing her backside to press into his hips—and she felt something.

A hard something.

A  _ big _ something…

Ed stirred behind her, purring awake. He pulled her against him by the waist, and she felt him bury his face in her hair. Winry closed her eyes, feeling a pleasant ache somewhere low in her abdomen. “Hmmn, morning…” Ed murmured sleepily.

She smiled, turning her head into the pillow they shared, “Good morning…” She began to sneakily wiggle her hips, rolling them back against him.

He chuckled tiredly, squeezing her gently, “What are you doing?”

Winry grinned. “Nothing,” she said innocently. “I’m just stretching is all.”

“Is that so?” Ed said behind her. He kissed her shoulder.

“Mhm,” she murmured. Her back arched again, pressing her soft rear into him, running it up and down the length.

He breathed a curse under his breath, meeting her backside with his hips. “Winry,” he moaned, barely above a whisper.

She slowed her movements, putting one of her hands over the arm he had around her waist. She slid her fingers down to clasp with his hand. “Can I try something, Ed?” she asked softly.

“Try… something?” he repeated, sounding dazed.

Winry rolled over to face him and saw his golden eyes glazed over. She kissed him gently. “Like this,” she whispered, her hand running down between them to touch him through his pants. 

Ed’s eyes squeezed shut. “Fuck, Win,” he gasped.

Winry kept her own eyes on his face while her hand did the work under the covers. He felt hot and thick, even through his clothes. She shivered. The ache pulsed inside her again. “Just like this,” she told him. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip as she braved a long, slow stroke downward and then back up. “Is that okay?” she asked, her face flushing.

He nodded, breathing heavily through his nose, “Mmhm… that’s more than okay.”

She giggled, relieved, “Good.” She found his lips again, giving him another, lingering kiss. She tasted his tongue that time, and Ed eagerly returned the gesture with his own. Her other hand went to the waistband of his pajama bottoms, toying with it with her fingers. “Can I really touch you,” she asked, “or just over your pants?”

Ed’s eyes opened slightly and he nodded again, “Y-You can touch me.”

Winry smiled and bit her lip again, dipping her hands into his bottoms. Her heart was pounding in her chest, in her ears. When she took hold of him and felt him for real, she let out a wanton sigh. “Oh wow,” she breathed. “God, Ed, you’re so  _ big…” _

He throbbed and jumped in her hand, and she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Of  _ course _ hearing her say that would get him excited. Ed was trembling, his teeth clenched as she stroked him.

His cock was smooth, rigid, and hot in her hands, quivering excitedly at every touch. Winry refused to look under the covers to watch herself touch him—there was something erotic about not being able to see what she was doing, just feeling him blindly while watching his face. She started with a steady rhythm, slow but deliberate, up and down, up and down.

“F-Fuck,” Ed gasped, half-groaning. “Your h-hands… they’re so soft…”

“Shhh,” Winry shushed, giving him another kiss. “Just enjoy it.” She slightly increased her pace, strengthening her grip as she fluidly stroked him. Her other hand slid down and combed through his pubic hair. Ed shivered, and a yelp seemed to die in his throat when she cupped his balls a moment later. They were tight from his excitement, but large, and she massaged them in time with her other hand. “How’s that?” she asked, her voice low. Her face was burning—whether it was from embarrassment at her boldness, or just plain arousal, she didn’t know—but she liked it.

Ed looked like he was struggling not to yell out (and good on him—Winry honestly feared that Granny might yell pointers from downstairs if they got loud), and his fingers went under her shirt and up her spine. “It’s good,” he managed after a moment.  _ “It’s so fucking good.” _ He clenched his teeth and hissed, “Winry… I-I… I think—”

“It’s okay,” she told him. “I want you to.” He was so hard in her hand, and she felt a bit of moisture run over her fingers as she pumped him, spreading the warmth over his length. She flicked her thumb over the bottom of his dribbling tip, and that was all it took.

Ed grunted heavily and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as his length erupted—warm, wet, and sinful. It throbbed violently in her hands, and she felt it spilling and shooting his seed all over her palms, fingers, and forearms. 

Winry smiled, easing the speed of her hand until it slowed to a stop. Carefully, she lifted her hands out of his bottoms, and reached for her bath towel at the foot of the bed to wipe her hands clean. “I guess it goes without saying you enjoyed that, huh?” she said with a little smirk as she settled against him again.

Ed, face flushed and body trembling, pulled her close and kissed her hard, delving his tongue into her mouth. She held his face as he moved on top of her, holding him between her thighs. His mouth broke from hers and started down her jaw to her pulse, and she felt his teeth nibble there a moment before his tongue flicked her earlobe.  _ “Enjoyed _ is an understatement,” he murmured. His breath was hot and wet on her ear. Winry shivered. When he came back up to look into her eyes, his own were filled with desire. The heat of it filled the room, and she found herself entirely seduced by it. 

Ed’s teeth flashed in a confident grin. “Your turn,” he growled playfully against her mouth.

And then his hands were all over her, feeling her curves, cupping her flesh greedily. She arched into him, and his mouth devoured hers in a wild, messy,  _ hungry _ kiss that made her tingle to her very core, between her legs and back again.

His hand snuck its way down her middle, fingers slipping into her panties to tou—

_ “WINRY!” _ Granny called loudly.  _ “One of your clients just called, they’re on their way! You’d better get ready!” _

Winry whined, closing her eyes in annoyance. Ed pressed his forehead into her shoulder, letting out a gruff sigh.

“Okay, Granny,” she called back, giving Ed an apologetic pat on his shoulder. “I’ll be down in a minute.” Pecking him on the lips, she urged them both to sit up. “Sorry,” she said.

Ed shook his head, “Don’t be. I’m the one that should be sorry. I was trying to give as good as I got, you know, equiv—”

“If you say it, I swear whatever god there is that I will beat you senseless with the biggest wrench in my toolbox,” Winry groaned, giving him a little swat on the arm.

He clicked his tongue, shaking his head, “Promises, promises.”

She pointed at him, “You know I will, Edward. Don’t try me.”

“Maybe I want to,” Ed said cheekily, pulling her into his lap. She straddled him as he locked her in place. “You’ve got a client on the way, but  _ I  _ was here first. You said you’d oil my leg last night, but we never did.”

Winry smiled and leaned over him, practically touching her nose to his,  _ “Maybe _ that’s because I intended to oil you all over last night, but  _ you _ stopped me.” Her voice was low and husky.

Ed’s face turned pink, but he smirked at her, “Ah, so you were just playing innocent when you came knocking on my door last night, huh…”

“I said  _ maybe,” _ she offered coyly. Winry gave him one last kiss before hopping off him to go get ready for the day.

“Hey,” Ed said, making her turn around. “What’s your day like today? How many clients do you have on your schedule?”

“A few,” she replied. She lifted an eyebrow, “Why?”

Ed scratched the back of his neck, “Would you want to have lunch together somewhere? We could go into town and grab some stuff at the market, then have a picnic.”

Winry leaned against her door frame, “Are you asking me out on a date, Ed?”

“I guess I am,” he said with that silly grin on his face. “Whaddya say?”

She walked over and kissed him on the forehead where his bangs parted, “I say, I’d love to. I shouldn’t be too long with clients today.”

“Great,” Ed said, nodding. “I’m looking forward to it.”

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

True to her promise, Winry was done with all her scheduled appointments by mid-afternoon. It was a lovely spring day, pleasantly warm with the scent of fresh green grass and country wildflowers. A beautiful day for a picnic.

A beautiful day for a do-over proposal.

Ed dressed himself in some more clothes he’d left at the Rockbell’s: a pair of khaki pants with a pleat ironed into them (Al insisted he keep them nice like that), and then a thin white button-up shirt. He shined an old pair of brown shoes from his closet, and promptly felt silly for doing so if they were going to be outdoors having a picnic. 

Nevertheless, he made sure he looked nice for Winry. He even found a bottle of cologne (another thing Al had gotten for him forever ago, but he’d never bothered with it before), and lightly spread the scent onto the pulse points at his neck. It really was a nice scent, he thought—fresh but a little woodsy, and reminded him of the sea.

He kept replaying the morning in his head, smirking to himself the entire time he got ready. Winry definitely wasn’t shy about what she wanted, but he liked that. He liked that a  _ lot.  _ And he hoped to repay her this afternoon.

He found the ring box in his briefcase, opening it to examine the contents for nearly the hundredth time at this point. Ed took a deep, cleansing breath and closed it, stuffing it into the pocket of his brown coat before heading downstairs to meet up with Winry.

When he made it to the landing, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her.

Forgoing her usual coveralls or short-shorts, today Winry wore a white sundress patterned with red, tropical flowers. It flared at the waist into a bell-like skirt, and the white underskirt came just past the hem with a sort of lace design. Her shoes were simple flat sandals (he mentally thanked her for not wearing heels), and a white sash was tied at the bottom of her waist and knotted into a large bow at her back.

She looked stunning.

Pinako was rounding the corner beside the stairs and watched him looking at her as she packed utensils in a picnic basket. “Close your mouth, Edward,” she teased. “You’ll catch flies.”

Ed gave her an annoyed look, “Shush, you.”

She simply chuckled and walked over to sit on the couch with Den, puffing at her pipe. Ed straightened and cleared his throat as he approached Winry, “You ready?”

Winry turned, her arm looped into the handles of the large basket. She grinned cheerfully, “Yep—you?”

“I am,” he said, nodding. He took her hand, “You look great.”

Her face pinkened, “Thank you. So do you.”

Ed laughed softly, “I try.”

“We’ll be back later, Granny,” Winry told Pinako as they walked out the door. She gave her a wave.

“You two have fun,” she said as she scratched Den’s head. “Don’t get into trouble.”

**& & &**

Winry laced her fingers into Ed’s as they walked into town. She showed him the new stores that had opened after he left. First they went to the market to get some food: a few sandwiches, a box of blackberries, a bag of chips, and a bottle of chilled champagne. After that she brought him to the new bakery, where they both drooled over the beautifully decorated cakes and pastries in the display case. They wanted to buy one of everything, but there was only so much room in the picnic basket, so they settled for a small orange-caramel cheesecake. Ed happily paid for it all.

Once their food was collected, he led them to their old spot: a huge oak tree off the main road a little ways. It was a place they’d played together as kids, and the tree itself had been great for climbing or resting under. The slope of the trunk was perfect for cradling a person’s back, and the branches spread wide and thick with leaves, casting the perfect amount of shade on a day like today.

White, fluffy clouds rolled over them as they laid out the large flannel blanket, and a cool breeze carried the scent of the countryside around them, casting the spell of a perfect day upon their little picnic.

Ed served them glasses of champagne once they settled onto the blanket, and Winry took out the sandwiches and fruit. They talked and laughed about things they remembered under the tree, childhood memories filled with joy and purity.

The sandwiches were tasty, the blackberries were tangy, the cheesecake was rich, and the champagne brought a happy flush to their cheeks. When it was all finished, Ed was absolutely full, both of food and happiness.

The time was now.

“Winry,” Ed said softly, his hand diving slowly into his pocket. He clutched the box in his hand.

Winry was putting the empty packaging into their basket, and she paused at the sound of her name, turning to him. “What?” she asked curiously.

“When we were kids, and Al and I had that fight about who would get to marry you, there’s something I never told you,” Ed confessed, straightening himself against the trunk of their oak tree.

Winry smiled, lifting her eyebrow, “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

He laughed to himself, remembering, “I managed to convince myself that I was going to win you over with a ring. A special one that I would make—with alchemy.”

She frowned. She realized he couldn’t do that now. “Oh, Ed—I don’t need a ring,” she insisted, crawling over to him on the blanket. She touched his knee, giving it an affectionate rub, “Besides, I thought it was illegal for alchemists to make valuables like gold and jewelry.”

Ed shrugged, “I’m pretty sure that only applies if you’re going to use it for monetary gain, but I wouldn’t have cared otherwise. You’re worth it.” Winry’s face pinkened and Ed went on, “I used to draw pictures of it, do secret research on different gemstones. I tried to think of what kind of gem you’d like. I wanted it to be perfect.” He sighed, “But then mom died, and Al and I got side-tracked… and eventually, all the research and sketches I’d done went up in the fire.”

“Ed, it’s okay,” she told him sweetly, trying to reassure him. “I promise you, I don’t need a ring.”

With his free hand, Ed covered hers that was on his knee, holding it. He smiled, “It’s another, smaller, reason why I said what I said at the train station that day, and why it took me so long to get there. I didn’t have alchemy, or even my notes. It was my attempt at being romantic—but you know as well as anyone that I’m not good at saying what I feel.”

“You’re getting better at it,” Winry told him, laughing.

“But,” Ed went on pointedly, pulling the box out of his pocket—Winry gasped—“while I was out west, I walked by a jewelry store and saw this…” He opened it and turned it to face her, “I had to have it. It was so close to what I’d pictured giving you, only the stones are a bit smaller.” He grinned, “That might be for the best, though. From what I remember from my drawings, it would have been the most gaudy ring that ever existed.”

The ring was made of two delicate strands of gold, twining around each other like vines. When they met in the center, three diamond leaves branched organically on either side. The main stone in the middle was a deep, berry maroon, cut in a cushion with diamond-shaped facets that glittered in the sunlight. It looked like it was plucked from a magical golden tree.

Winry’s eyes were sparkling, “Ed… it’s beautiful.”

Ed moved to get on one knee in front of her, and cleared his throat dramatically. “Winry Rockbell,” he began, “will yo—”

Before he knew what was happening, Winry had launched herself at him and they landed flat against the blanket, her lips laying greedy kisses over his own. Ed laughed between each one, making sure he still had the box in hand. “—marry me?” he finished.

Winry cupped his cheek, “Yes. 85.”

Ed laughed and nodded, “85.” He sat up, “C’mere, let me put this on you.” She offered her left hand to him, and he took the ring and slid it up her finger, frowning when the weight of the center made it fall to the side. “Oh, dammit it’s too big,” he said, frowning.

“It’s okay, I love it anyway,” Winry told him.

Ed sighed, “This never would have happened if I made it myself.”

She looked doubtful, offering a slight smile, “You think you know my hands that well?”

“After this morning? Hell yeah,” Ed said, grinning at her.

Winry elbowed him, her cheeks pink again. “You’re an idiot,” she said, but she giggled and kissed him.

“Yeah, and now I’m  _ your _ idiot, so long as you wear that ring,” he teased. “But seriously, I do know your hands, Win. Like I told you before, they were made for healing, for helping. You gave me an arm and a leg, and took care of them for years. I know every part of your hands, Winry… Every part.” Winry looked like she might cry, but he kissed her softly. “Don’t,” he whispered, and she nodded, giving him a reassuring smile in return. 

Ed pulled her into his lap, letting her sit with her back against him while he reclined against the tree. “Hopefully it doesn’t fall off,” he said worriedly.

“I can resize it myself,” Winry promised, looking down at it. She rested the back of her head against his chest. “So, tell me about this ring… What made you decide this was the one?”

Ed took her left and gently moved the ring from side to side, letting the stones glitter in the sunlight breaking through the shade, “Well, this main gem is tourmaline, and I decided on that stone all those years ago because of what I read about it.” He shrugged, “And also because I didn’t feel the typical gems were unusual enough for you.”

“Unusual?” Winry repeated, tilting her head back and up to look at him. Her voice sounded offended, but she was smiling.

He squeezed her, “You know what I mean… Like,  _ original. _ I wanted you to have something no one else would have.”

She nodded, “I get it.” Her head tilted as she looked at the odd but beautiful gem, “So, tourmaline... What did you read about it?”

“According to legends, it has a lot of different meanings and powers—but the ones that caught my eye were about it being a stone of compassion, and how it was said to radiate energy that attracted friendship, healing, and even money,” Ed explained. He shrugged, “I don’t know, when I was a kid, that sounded like all the things you’d want in a happy, married life. I thought if I made you a ring with that stone it would bring us good luck.”

Winry was looking up at him again when he finished, smiling warmly. Her free hand came to stroke the side of his face, tickling his skin. “You were a pretty smart kid,” she told him. She turned slightly and brought him down to kiss her.

Ed’s fingers moved into her hair, murmuring against her lips. Winry sighed and her hand clutched the front of his shirt. He could still taste the flavor of blackberries and champagne on her tongue when she opened her mouth for him. 

He was hungry again.

“Winry,” Ed breathed against her lips, “can I try something?”

The way she bit her bottom lip drove him crazy. She nodded, whispering, “Yeah…”

Ed had her relax her back onto him again, and she let him run his hand up her knee, under her skirt. His fingers trailed up her soft skin, stopping at her pantes. From the feel of them, they were lace, and when he touched her mound through them, running two fingers over her clothed slit, she was burning already. Winry gasped, her body twitching in his arms.

“You okay?” Ed asked quietly.

She nodded, “Mhmm…” Her eyes closed, “Just touch me, Ed…”

He pressed his fingers into the top of her mound, feeling her clit through her panties, rolling it in circles. Winry whimpered. When his hand slipped beneath the lace and touched her, Ed groaned. “Oh, Winry,” he breathed lustfully. His fingers dipped into her folds, feeling the pure heat of her body. They traveled downward, to her entrance, slick with need. Ed shivered.

In his haze, he managed to recall his notes about this, and he was eager to put them into practice. Ed brought his other hand between her legs to join the other one. Using her wetness, he coated his fingers with her and began to use them to toy with her clit, rolling it around.

Winry squirmed and gave a sharp gasp, bucking her hips into his hands. When his other hand began to tease her opening, she writhed against him, shuddering. Ed slowly pushed a finger inside her, feeling her silky-slick warmth. It was like molten hot velvet. 

His fingers were curious, trying to find that spot Mustang had described.  _ “Trust me, you’ll know when you find it,” _ he’d said. So with that in mind, Ed carefully (but firmly) began pressing his finger up into her squeezing muscles, while his other hand continued its work on her clit. It didn’t take long, the moment he made contact with it, Winry arched her back hard, letting out a surprised moan as she writhed and bucked in his arms.

Raising an eyebrow, Ed began to work his hands in time with each other, moving at an even speed. He could barely hold onto Winry at that point, her entire body contorting against him. He kept his fingers moving, but he asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yes!” Winry cried at once. “God, just keep going!”

Ed purred against her ear, “You want it harder?”

“Please—Yes—More!”

It was all the encouragement he needed. Ed slid another finger inside her, rattling them against that sensitive spot while he spread more of her wetness over her clit with his other hand. Winry was mewling, her chest heaving as she gasped in pleasure for him. Ed moaned with her, just loving the sight of her in so much ecstasy.

“Edward,” she choked. “Edward, I c-can’t—”

“C’mon, Winry,” he encouraged her, nipping the shell of her ear. “Let me feel you… I wanna feel you…”

“F-Feel m—AH OH~!”

She arched so hard she came off the ground a moment, her head lolling on Ed’s shoulder. There was a gush of wetness and warmth around his fingers, her muscles squeezing them in tight spasms, and Ed couldn’t help but think of the way they would feel around his length. “God, Winry,” he whispered, watching her.

She seemed blissfully unaware of him, her release lasting longer than his had this morning. She collapsed into a fit of shudders, panting wildly against him. Ed waited until the spasms slowed before he took his fingers away from her and out of her panties, but stayed to massage her thigh soothingly.

Winry managed to catch her breath a few moments later, opening her eyes slowly. She turned a bit to face him. “What the—How did you—What?” she sputtered, her face and chest still flushed with warmth. “Was that… Was that alchemy?” She straightened the skirt of her dress, and Ed clasped his hands around the front of her waist.

Ed chuckled and shook his head, “No, that was just good old fashioned anatomy.”

She let out a breath, laughing slightly, “Well, whatever the hell it was, you might need to carry me home. I don’t think my legs work anymore.”

“You’re in luck, then,” he told her, kissing the top of her head. “Because I know the best automail mechanic in Amestris.”

A loud clap of thunder clashed above, startling them both. Alarmed, they looked at the sky and saw their fluffy white clouds had turned to murky gray. As if on cue, a downpour started, and fat, cool drops of rain fell from the sky.

“Ah, dammit!” Ed cursed. “I’ll get the basket and blanket—you take my coat to cover yourself!”

“Okay!” Winry said, doing as he told her.

Once he had the basket packed again, Winry came over and let them both share the coat as a somewhat effective shield from the rain. Luckily, they weren’t far away from Winry’s home, so they didn’t have to run far.

When they ran up the front porch and unlocked the door, they found Den wagging his tail as he lay on the couch, along with a note from Pinako.

“She went to a friend’s house for tea, it says,” Winry read, still panting. Their clothes were soaked, and Den licked at the puddle her dress was dripping onto the floor.

Ed tried a light switch on the wall, flicking it on and off. “Looks like the power’s out, too,” he noted. “Damn.” He looked down at his shoes, sighing in disdain when he saw they were covered in mud. “Damn,” he said again, slipping them off by the doorframe.

“Come on,” Winry said, taking his hand. “Let’s get dry.”

“Still got your ring?” Ed asked as she led him upstairs.

“Yep,” she confirmed with a smile, showing him. “Don’t worry.”

They went upstairs to Winry’s room, and Ed turned away from her to give her some privacy while he unbuttoned his shirt. He’d just gotten to the bottom buttons when he heard her.

“Ed… look at me…”

He did, and Ed turned to stone.

She was naked.

Winry’s soaked sundress was pooled beneath her along with her panties, and she kicked them away as she walked towards him. Her skin was cold and wet, and her nipples were hard when she stepped in front of him. “Do you want me?” she asked. She didn’t blush, she didn’t flinch.

Ed swallowed.

“Yes.”

Her hands were quicker and defter than his, snatching his shirt from his body, nearly ripping it off him. They laughed through excited panting, fingers shaking as they both tried to undo his belt. When Ed was finally as naked, they collided and moaned at the feel of their cool, rain-soaked bodies against each other. Winry reached up and freed his hair from his ponytail, letting it fall around his shoulders.

Ed urged her to her bed, pulling the covers down, and then climbed on top of her. He showered her body with kisses, unable to think about anything else but her. He didn’t know if what he was doing was in his notes or not, but he didn’t care. Damn them. He tasted the rain on her skin with his tongue—on her neck, on her collarbone, on her nipples. He filled his palms with her breasts, squeezing them and sucking them between his lips.

Winry cried out loudly, arching off her soft mattress. Her hands were fisted in his hair, clenching and unclenching whenever his tongue found a spot that excited her.

Ed went lower.

He kissed down her abdomen, down to her inner thighs. Winry was trembling when he brought his face between her legs, and when his tongue went between her soft, swollen folds, a clap of thunder drowned out her cry of surprise.

Ed opened her with his thumbs, splitting her like a juicy peach. He ran his tongue up her center, flattening it against her quivering clit. Winry shuddered. The taste of her was unlike anything he’d ever known—an addictive, foreign sweetness. Ed moaned and began to tease her clit with his tongue, sucking it with his mouth. Winry pulled at his wet hair as she writhed above him, bucking against his face. 

“Edward,” she breathed, almost a squeak. “Edward, please…”

Their eyes met as his tongue flicked against her clit, and apparently the sight of it was too much for her, because she squeezed her eyes shut and arched her back again with a sudden moan. She quaked against his face, both of her legs trembling. Ed tasted a fresh eruption of her sweetness, purring into her mound.

He rose from her and wiped his chin with the back of his arm, moving back up her body. He was hard, unbelievably hard. He laid himself against her slit, nearly whimpering at how good it felt to rub his length on her. It twitched and throbbed impatiently, but Ed looked into her eyes.

“Winry, is it alrigh—”

“Yes!” Winry shouted, responding to his motions with her hips.  _ “Fuck _ yes.” She cupped his face, whispering, “Just be careful—you’re pretty big.”

Ed nodded and kissed her deeply before guiding himself to her entrance. When he pushed forward, he had to press his forehead into her shoulder.

Ed knew about pain, he knew about fear. He’d been punched, kicked, stabbed, and shot at for years. Monsters had chased him, and some had  _ eaten _ him. There was nothing more anyone could teach him about pain or fear whatsoever.

Pleasure, on the other hand… Pleasure was entirely new to him, and in fact had only showed itself to him in the last two days.

So when Ed felt Winry,  _ truly _ felt her—surrounding him, squeezing him, pulling him deeper—it was all he could do not to blackout entirely. His breathing became choked, shuddering gasps, and he froze in place.

“Ed?” Winry asked breathlessly, her hands still holding his face. “Are you okay?”

More thunder sounded outside, rain practically spraying against the window to the bedroom.

Ed nodded, “Y-Yeah… J-Just… I want t-to…”

“What?” she asked, concerned. She adjusted her hips slightly.

“Oh god, be still!” he breathed weakly. Just her little movement sent lightning bolts of pleasure through him. “Be still… I… I just want to last… Need to focus.”

“Okay,” Winry said softly. “It’s okay…”

It took several moments, but Ed gathered the strength he needed. When he started to move, he moaned in relief, in excitement. Winry clinged to him, her arms going around his back. Ed gripped one of her thighs and held it against his hip as he ground and thrust himself inside her, over and over again.

“Hnn,” he purred against her ear. “Winry… Oh, god,  _ Winry!” _

Winry’s fingers pressed into his back, and Ed felt her breaths come out in little puffs against his collarbone, her teeth gently scraping his skin. When he changed the angle of his hips, she raked her nails down his back and let out a wanton cry.

He went faster, risking a little, but it just felt too damn good. Their bodies came together in a tighter rhythm, filling the room with the sound of sex. Relief was building in him, and when he looked down at Winry, he saw it in her too, he could feel it in the way her walls were tightening on him. Ed reached down and began to tease her clit in a frenzy, thrusting hard and fast while his thumb worked the sensitive bit of flesh. Winry began to buck wildly, unable to say anything coherent.

“With me,” Ed panted to her. “God… Winry, come with me!”

A flash of lightning brightened the room as they found release. Ed buried himself deep inside her, and he sunk his face into her pillow, screaming. Winry choked on her own cry of passion, but she hugged Ed to her naked body as she bucked into him uncontrollably.

Ed rose from her a few moments later, and saw tears rolling down her face. “Oh, god—did I hurt you?” he asked in horror.

“No,” Winry sobbed at once, shaking her head. She cupped his cheek, “No, you didn’t hurt me at all.”

He let out a breath, thoroughly relieved, “Good.” He kissed her gently, “You okay?”

She nodded, smiling, “Wonderful. I’m wonderful, Ed.”

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

Afterward, Winry relaxed under the covers with Ed, still naked, warm and tingly all over. The storm still raged outside, and the lights were still out in the house, but it was nice in its own way.

“So, how’d I do?” Ed asked, propping his head up on his hand.

Winry smiled at him, her pillow tucked under her left arm as she rested her chin on it, “I think it was pretty great, considering.”

“Considering what?”

“Considering it was your first time. And mine.” She touched his chest, tracing his collarbone, “How was I?”

He pulled her close, smirking, “Perfect.”

“Glad to hear it,” she said, matching his expression. She nodded below the sheets, “How’s your leg doing with the storm and all?”

“It’s not bothering me right now,” he told her with a shrug.

She tapped the point of his nose, “So you  _ have  _ been taking care of it.”

“I told you,” Ed insisted with a little smirk. He pulled her on top of him, “We still need to oil it, though.”

“We’ll do that,” Winry promised. She kissed his chest, “Maybe… right now.” She slid a little further down, her lips at the top of his abdomen, “But I might get distrac—” When she made contact, she noticed a large piece of puckered skin. An enormous scar. “...ted.” She traced it with her fingers, “Ed, what is this? I’ve never seen this.” She really  _ had  _ been distracted.

When she looked up, she saw him close his eyes, and he sighed softly, sadly. “It’s… It’s from when we had to split up at Briggs,” Ed said quietly. “When you went with Scar.” He opened his eyes and met hers, “I got in a fight with Kimblee, and I got a little cocky.”

Winry gave a feeble smile at that, but she felt something terrible in her chest.

“I thought I’d knocked his Philosopher’s Stone out of his hand, and cut his transmutation circle tattoo—I thought I’d stopped him from using his alchemy,” he explained, but then he shook his head. “Turns out he had another Stone.”

Winry gasped, frowning. She swallowed, asking hesitantly, “And… what happened?”

Ed adjusted himself. “We were fighting above a mine shaft, and Kimblee used that Stone to blow it all up. I fell…” He held her hand. “I fell, and I was impaled.”

Her hand flexed, and her nails lightly dug into the scar. Winry felt her lip trembling, and she bit down on it as hard as she could without making it bleed. “And then?”

“You remember those men I was with when you showed up here, right?” Ed asked. She nodded. “They found me. I was still conscious when they found me, and I asked them to pull the piece of metal out.”

By now they were both sitting up, and Winry was looking at him, unsure. Her hands were shaking. Ed tried to still them with his own. “Ed… how in the world did you survive that?” she asked fearfully.

Ed closed his eyes, “I… I used alchemy. To heal myself.”

Her lip was trembling again. She didn’t try to stop it this time. “And how did you do that?” Her voice cracked. “Did you use Kimblee’s Philosopher’s Stone?”

Ed shook his head slowly, “No… No, I did not.”

“Then h-how?”

Ed took a deep breath, his hands tightening around hers, “I used my own life force. I… I used  _ myself _ as a Philosopher’s Stone.” He swallowed, “It didn’t heal me all the way, but I stopped the bleeding.”

“But… Ed… Ed, what did that  _ do  _ to you?” She closed her eyes, fearful of the answer. When she opened them and looked back at him, she saw he looked scared, too.

“I… I’m not sure.”

_ “What?” _

Desperation flickered in his golden eyes as he stared back at her, “It might have… It might have taken a few years off my life—I don’t know.”

Winry felt tears falling before she could stop them. “You don’t know?!” she cried. “How many is ‘a few?’ Five? Ten?  _ Thirty? How many, Ed?!” _

Ed gripped her hand in his, kissing her fingers, her ring. “Winry, please… Don’t hate me, don’t leav—”

“Hate you?” she repeated, sniffing. “Why would I hate you?”

“Because I hid it from you,” he admitted. “When I came home after everything, I never told anyone. It’s only Kimblee’s men and myself that know what happened.”

Winry straddled him and held his face. “Ed, I do  _ not  _ hate you,” she said as firmly as she could manage. “I am terrified _ for  _ you.” She shook her head, “We only get so many years of life… You and I know that better than anyone… and for you to have…” She trailed off, sobbing again. “It means we can’t waste any time,” she said finally.

“I know,” Ed agreed, nodding.

“So we need to get married fast,” Winry told him earnestly. “We need to get married before the end of this year, because if we’re going to have kids, I want them to know their father.”

Ed let out a surprised laugh, “Wow…”

“What?” she said. “I mean it.”

“I know you do, Win,” he said, hugging her. “I know you do.”

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

_ Fun fact about tourmaline: “real” alchemists in history believed it to be related to the Philosopher’s Stone. I didn’t have Ed include that in his reasoning behind wanting that gem for Winry though, because I think the term “Philosopher’s Stone” becomes a bit of a trigger word for the Elrics (and Winry) by the end of the series. _

_ Anywho, hope you liked this one! _

_ Y’all stay safe and healthy and warm, _

_ Glacier _

  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Glutamate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed has to go back to the west after only a few days with Winry, but they're going ahead with the wedding plans, as well as some plans for their future. While they're apart, they discover a way to stay connected. 
> 
> Also, Ed gets some closure he didn't know he needed.

_ Alright folks, here’s part three! I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to check out Thermodynamics as well _ _ —it’s the story I mentioned in my notes at the end of chapter one, where you get Roy’s perspective of the phone call Ed made to him. I’ll probably add some other Royai one-shots to that one, or maybe make them a series (so I can keep the T rating on the original fic). _

_ Without further ado, let’s get going! _

**Chemistry**

_ Part III: Glutamate _

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

Winry buried her face into Ed’s shirt. “I’m going to miss you.” Her voice came out thoroughly muffled, and she hugged him tighter, “You really have to go?”

Ed squeezed her right back, sighing, “Yeah, I really do. I’m gonna miss you too, Win.” He kissed the top of her head, “But I won’t be gone for as long this time, and I can help you with some of the wedding plans from the west.”

So far, the only people that knew about their engagement were Granny and a few of Winry’s clients that had spotted her new ring. The first thing to do was get their announcements sent out to all their friends. Ed was going to call Al personally before he sent the announcement to him, saying he wanted to hear his brother’s official reaction.

Outside of Al and Granny, creating a list of their friends from over the years had been… daunting, to say the least. They really couldn’t leave anyone out. There were so many people written on their list that at one point, Winry joked they should just elope—halfway meaning it. But Granny had quashed that idea immediately when she overheard.  _ “You both know you’d want Alphonse there with you,” _ she’d admonished.  _ “I won’t hear anything more about eloping.” _ And she was right.

And if Al was coming, then they had to at least send an invitation to Mei and Ling (whether or not they chose to come was on them). Then Ed said he promised Roy Mustang an invitation to their wedding (of all people—Winry wondered how and why on Earth that had happened, not that she minded), which meant they would have to send invitations well over a dozen other people in the military. And if the military was invited, then of course Ed’s teacher—Izumi Curtis—should be invited, as well as her husband, as it would be insulting not to.

And if all of Ed’s friends were coming, then that meant Winry’s friends from Rush Valley needed to be invited as well (even some of her clients).

And then, they had all their friends and neighbors in Resembool.

Their wedding was turning out to be quite an event, and a lot of careful planning had to take place in order for them to get it all done before the end of the year.

Winry looked up at Ed, still refusing to let go of him, “I’ll miss you in bed, too.” She felt her cheeks burn. “You’re so warm at night.”

He smiled down at her, running his fingers through her hair, “You know I won’t be able to stop thinking about you—morning, noon, and night. It’s going to be a sad, boring couple of months without you to wake up to.” He leaned down to her ear, “When I get back, I’ll make it up to you.”

She felt herself tingle. “You better,” she murmured back to him, her teeth nipping at his earlobe.

Ed had managed to stay only a few days before his team in the west started calling him and asking when he’d return. In that time, he and Winry practically never left the bed. Or the shower.

“And I’ll write to you,” Ed promised her. “Multiple times a week. I may not be able to call as much, because I want to save money for the wedding—but I will, because I want to hear your voice.”

“And I want to hear yours,” Winry told him, hugging him around the neck now. The train was pulling in behind her, steaming and whistling to a stop. “I love you, Edward Elric,” she said, her voice choking up.

Ed smiled, cupping her face in his hands, “And I love you, Winry Rockbell.” He kissed her deeply, lovingly, passionately—until the conductor shouted the last call for boarding. He pressed his mouth to her fingers, to her engagement ring, and then stepped onto the train.

Winry watched it slowly pull away, Ed waving from his seat, getting smaller. Before his car reached the end of the platform, she saw him snatch the window open and stick his head out, facing her.

“DON’T YOU CRY, WINRY!” Ed shouted like a maniac, drawing attention from the other people on the platform with her. “I CAN’T  _ WAIT _ TO MARRY YOU!”

Winry choked on her sad sob with a fit of laughter. She cupped her hands around her mouth, “I WON’T CRY! GET YOUR HEAD BACK IN THE CAR, YOU DUMMY!” A few of the people around her laughed, but most just shook their heads at the two love-drunk kids.

But Winry didn’t care. She had a man who loved her enough to marry her, and shout it from a moving train.

_ ‘I’m gonna have kids with that idiot,’ _ Winry thought to herself, unable to wipe the silly grin off her face.

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

It was a couple of days before Ed finally got to talk to Al on the phone. With his brother travelling all over the east, it was difficult to pinpoint his location, but luckily Al came back for a visit with Mei, so Ed managed to reach him at the hotel where he was staying.

“Brother!” Al greeted happily. “It’s so good to hear your voice! How are you?”

Ed smiled, seated at the desk in his tiny bedroom, “I’m great, Al. And you? Are you prince of Xing yet?”

He could hear Al groan on the other side, “No, Brother. Mei has other duties and I’m too busy travelling to even consider a girlfriend.”

“Don’t forget to take breaks every now and then, Al,” Ed reminded him. “Speaking of which, do you think you’ll have time for one before the end of this year… say, for a wedding?”

“A wedding?” Al asked. “Whose wedding?”

Ed grinned, looking out his window, “Mine. And Winry’s.”

He laughed, “Well, it’s about time! I figured you would have gotten engaged way before now.”

“Yeah, well… I figured it was now or never,” he told him.

“You two were always meant for each other,” Al said. “I’ve known that for a long time.”

Ed stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankle, “Oh yeah?”

“Of course. The only reason we fought over Winry as kids was because I wanted you to admit how you felt about her,” he confessed. “So I picked the fight.”

Ed chuckled, “That blew up in our faces, though. She shot us both down.”

Al laughed as well, but then he recovered, “Well, she didn’t this time, Brother.”

“No,” he agreed. After a pause, he said, “We’re still trying to figure out the details, but we’ll be sending out announcements soon. I wanted you to hear it from me directly, though. Brother to brother.”

“I appreciate that, Ed.”

“You know it.” Ed bit his lip, “There was… There was couple of things I wanted to ask you as well, if you have the time.”

“I’m here,” Al said. “Ask away.”

He straightened in his chair, “Well, Winry and I are trying to think of places to live after we get married. We were thinking of maybe going to Rush Valley, so she could be close to her old clients there, but she also said she’d be alright moving out west with me—there’s some interesting automail techniques she told me about, and she could set up a new shop here in town.” Ed sighed, “But we also liked the idea of living in Resembool, and I don’t want to put Pinako out by moving into the house, so—”

“The land,” Al guessed simply.

Ed nodded, resting his elbows on his knees as he spoke into the phone, “Yeah.” He ran his fingers through his bangs with his free hand, “We still own it, technically. And if I did anything with it, of course I would start from scratch—rip out anything left from the old house and turn the dirt over, that kind of thing.”

“And is the… the  _ thing _ still...?”

“No,” Ed confirmed. “Pinako helped me dig it up a couple years ago, and we burned it to ash.”

Al murmured, “Hmm…” He was quiet for a long time, and then he asked, “Well, how do you feel about it?”

Ed sighed again, “I think… I think I could be okay with it, if that’s what we decide to do, but I wanted to talk to you about it, and see if you had any feelings or objections—or even if you wanted to do something with it yourself.”

“No,” Al said, “not at all. But if you decide to build something there, I think Mom would have liked that. I think she would have  _ wanted  _ that, Ed.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking, too,” he said softly. “It wouldn’t be a symbol of sin anymore… It would be a home. A real home, where we’d laugh and have dinner, and kids would play on the grass…”

“Kids?” Al asked, a grin laced into his question.

Ed reddened, “E-Eventually, I mean. I’m just saying, before we lost Mom, you and I had some good times there, you know?”

“I do, Brother,” he said softly. “It would be nice to visit Resembool and know I could go home again.”

“You’ll always have a home wherever I am, Al,” Ed promised. “Always.” He laughed quietly, a smile spreading across his mouth, “I guess that settles it, then. We’ll rebuild.”

“Glad to hear it, really.”

Ed murmured happily, but then he went pensive. “Al, there’s one more thing I wanted to talk to you about…”

“Okay…” Al trailed off, sounding apprehensive.

“It’s about our research,” he explained. “I’m thinking of ending the western side of it, or at least ending my role in it.” When Al didn’t respond right away, Ed went on, “I have a team out here, a really good group of guys, and they’re all eager to learn as much as they can. I’m going to give them your contact information, and that way they can report to you.

“In addition, I’m looking into getting a telegraph station set up in Resembool. It’d be easier to do in town—they’ve already got the wiring. While I was there a few days ago, I noticed a few buildings for sale, and I was thinking of buying one to not only turn it into the telegraph station, but to house all of our research. I would manage it, catalogue it, of course—and receive telegrams from both sides when you all make discoveries you wanted me to add to the catalogue. We could even turn the place into a kind of library, open to the public. Or a school, even,” Ed told him. He finished, sounding a little out of breath. “So, what do you think? You haven’t said anything.”

“Brother, I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Al told him.

“You do?” Ed asked, surprised. Relief bloomed in him. “You’re not upset, or disappointed?”

“Of course not!” he cried. “I think this is a brilliant idea, Ed. I really do.”

“Thank-you, Al.”

“And while it wasn’t necessary, it still means a lot to me that you wanted to talk to me about it first,” he admitted.

Ed smiled to himself. “Yeah… well, you’re my brother, Al. Alchemy has been our lives for so long… It was important to me that I had your blessing. Both for this and the house.”

“Well, you have it, and anything else you might need,” Al promised. “And Brother?”

“Yeah?”

“You sound happy.”

He grinned broadly, “I am, Al. I really am.”

Al sniffled on the other end, “You have no idea how glad I am for you, Ed. How  _ relieved  _ I am. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for you, you know.” His voice began to waver a little, “We went through so much together, even with Winry, but you and I… You had to grow up so fast, to take care of me, to keep me alive. I was strong because you were strong—I had no right to be anything less for you.”

Ed frowned, “Al, no! I—” He hated hearing his brother upset.

Al ignored him, continuing as he sobbed, “I know how much you carried what we did on your shoulders alone, even when you told others it was the both of us who committed the sin—I could see that you never really let go of the guilt… of the shame. Half of it should have been mine, Ed, but you never really let me have it.” He sniffed again, “I could have tried harder to stop you, Ed. There’s a million and one things I could have done that night, things I wish I had—but I didn’t. Instead, I helped you and we did it together, because we’re brothers, we were sad, and no matter what, we were going to do what we did as  _ equal _ parties.  _ Equally _ guilty.

“So to watch you  _ hate  _ yourself all those years… it hurt me, it  _ killed  _ me, because there was nothing I could do for you, nothing I could say to convince you we were always in it  _ together.” _ Al took a breath, “And then, after the Promised Day, when you couldn’t do alchemy anymore, I was so  _ relieved. _ I thought,  _ ‘He’s free now. It’s gone. We’re back. He doesn’t have to worry anymore.’  _ But then a couple years later, when I said I wanted to study in the east, you were so excited to go west, to explore  _ with _ me… And again, I didn’t say anything, but I wish I had. I thought maybe you really  _ were _ happy, but now… Today I know for sure.”

Ed was speechless, and he felt a lump rise in his throat. His eyes closed, trying to shake free of it.

“So I guess I’m trying to tell you it’s okay,” Al finished. “I’m gonna be okay, Ed. And so are you.”

Ed’s hands were shaking, and he covered his eyes. “Al,” he choked. “Al, you… you  _ asshole.” _

Al laughed, sniffing through his own tears.

“This was supposed to be a  _ happy _ phone call,” Ed sobbed, annoyed. 

“It still is,” his brother assured him. “Best phone call I’ve ever gotten.”

Tears fell from Ed’s eyes, and he let them. He cleared his throat, “Thank you, Al.”

“You’re welcome, Brother. I love you.”

“I love you,” Ed replied warmly. “Brother.”

When he hung up a few minutes later, Ed put his head in his hands and wept. So many emotions came bubbling up at once, and he let them all out, cleansing himself of them one by one. He took a deep breath when he was finally finished, and he picked up the phone again, dialing Winry’s number.

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

Winry was cutting up carrots to put into a stew when the phone rang. Wiping her hands clean, she turned down the heat on the stove and went to answer it. “Hello, Rockbell residence,” she greeted cheerfully.

“Heya Win,” Ed voice said on the other end.

“Ed!” she cried, grinning. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon!”

He laughed, “Well, I missed you.”

Her eyes softened and she twirled the phone cord around her fingers, “I miss you, too.”

“In addition to missing you,” he said matter-of-factly, “there was something I wanted to tell you. It was going to be a surprise, but I just had a really good conversation with Al—who says hello, by the way, and congratulations to the both of us—and I don’t think I can keep it a secret because I’m too excited about it.”

Winry laughed, “Well, I love to hear you so enthusiastic about something, and now I have to know. What is it?”

“I’m quitting my research,” he announced proudly.

She felt like she misheard him, “You what?”

“I’m quitting my research,” he said again. “I’m passing it off to my team here, and they’re going to take over the western side from here on out.”

“Ed that’s… are you sure?” she asked. Her heart was fluttering—if that was true, then it meant... “I thought you loved doing your research.”

“I do,” he told her. “But I don’t love the idea of uprooting you, or constantly leaving you after we get married.”

“Ed…”

“Especially when we have kids, Win,” he said softly. “The only thing I ever remember about my father from my childhood was the image of him walking out the front door one morning, and never coming back. And I… I don’t want that to be what our kids see, for me to be gone months at a time, all the time.”

Winry sighed, “Oh, Ed… I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Winry. When I marry you, I want to  _ be _ with you. Have a real life with you. We only get so many days, like you told me, so I want to spend the rest of mine with you,” he vowed to her. “85.”

She sobbed a laugh, agreeing, “85.” She continued to twirl the cord around her fingers, “So does that mean you’re coming home sooner, then?”

Ed sighed, “No, it’ll still be a couple of months. My plan is to buy one of those empty buildings we saw in town and turn it into a research library, or even a school, and I’d also set up a telegraph station in the back, so I can get messages from Al and my team here to transcribe their notes. So, I need to come up with a code for us all, to keep their research safe when they’re using the wires. It shouldn’t be too hard to come up with it, but teaching it to my team… Hopefully they can keep up. Al won’t have a problem with it.”

“That actually sounds really cool,” Winry said, impressed. “So instead of an alchemy researcher, you’d be more of an alchemy librarian. Or professor, if you decide to teach.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled.

“God help your students,” she sighed, giggling lightly.

“Hey! I think I’d make a great teacher!” Ed complained, offended. He sighed, “Nah, I’d have to employ some other alchemists to be teachers. I’d have to take more of a backseat role, like a dean.”

Winry smiled, “Well, whatever you decide to do, I know you’ll do a great job with it. You’ll put your whole heart into it. And, if it’ll make things easier, I could build you that telegraph.”

“That would make things _ a lot  _ easier,” he told her earnestly. “You can really do that? I was thinking I’d have to order one.”

“Of course! It’d be exciting to build something new! I love automail, you know, but I’m a connoisseur of all machinery,” she stated confidently.

“Don’t I know it,” Ed said proudly. “And this way, with me running the library in Resembool, I can be home every night, with you. And our family.”

She smiled, “I know. I love it.” She sighed contentedly, “So then that means we’re going to rebuild your old house?”

“Yeah, does that sound good to you? We can build it however you want, with your dream workshop and everything,” Ed promised.

“It sounds perfect, Ed,” she told him genuinely. “I’m so excited for us.”

“Me too. So what are you guys up to?”

“Right now? I’m making stew,” Winry said. She smirked, “I was just about to add the milk.”

Ed made a disgusted noise, “Your stew is delicious, but it never fails to bug me that there’s milk in it.”

“You know, when we have kids, they’re going to need to drink their milk,” she teased. “Are you going to encourage healthy habits or to be just like you?”

“I will encourage them to pour it into the plants when you’re not looking. Best I can do,” he said matter-of-factly, but then he laughed.

Winry joined him, “You’re such an idiot…”

“I’ll be home as soon as I can, okay?”

“You better,” she warned teasingly.

“I will,” he insisted. “Keep an eye on your mail, too.”

That intrigued Winry, “Oh?”

“Yeah, I… I wrote something yesterday that I’m a little embarrassed about—even more so if it falls into the wrong hands—and I sent it against my better judgement. I might have been a little drunk at the time. My team took me out for a drink to celebrate getting engaged.”

Winry smiled, leaning against the wall, “Is that right? It must be some letter.”

“I hope you think so,” he said cryptically, then he cleared his throat. “I’ll see you soon, Win. Tell Pinako I said hello, and give Den some pets for me, okay?”

“I will,” she promised. “You make sure you don’t stay up too late, and get plenty to eat. I love you.”

“And I love you. Goodnight, Winry.”

“Goodnight, Ed.”

**& & &**

A couple days went by, and Winry finally saw Ed’s letter in the mail. She waited until Granny went into town to run some errands before she sat down and opened the envelope in the living room, giddy about whatever it was that made Ed feel so embarrassed. Inside was a short letter, shorter than what he’d written before.

When she began to read, she felt her cheeks heating up. “Ed,” she murmured to herself. “My goodness…”

_ Winry, _

_ I know I just left, that it’s barely been a day since I last saw you, but I miss you. It rains so much out here—I’d forgotten about that—and now the rain reminds me of you, of us, and the afternoon we spent in your bed. _

_ I remember the rain, how it tasted on your skin—even now I can feel it on my tongue… cool and sweet and soft. _

_ I remember the thunder, how it boomed when we cried out together. _

_ I remember the dimness of your room—the same kind of dimness I’m in right now—and I remember the way you looked standing there, the look on your face, the question in your eyes… it’s burned into my mind forever. _

_ But most of all, I remember the way it felt when I put my arms around you, our bodies bare and wet from the storm, how it felt cold and warm at the same time. I can still feel your fingers in my hair, your breaths in my ear… your sex on my fingers, on _ **_me_ ** _ , pulling me, trapping me… _

_ I love the rain. _

_ Always yours, _

_ Edward _

Winry put a hand over her chest, feeling the heat that gathered there from her flushed face. She had no idea Ed could write like that! So… romantic (if that was the right word).

“Anything good?”

Winry squeaked, wheeling around to see Granny standing beside her, bag of groceries in hand and trying to peer over the end of the couch to read the letter. She snatched it to her chest, “How long have you been here? A-And how much did you see?”

“Enough,” her grandmother answered. A slow smile spread across her wrinkled face, “You must have really done a number on him.”

Winry stammered, feeling her face and chest burn intensely, “W-Well, I—”

Granny just laughed, “What did I tell you? It’s all in the hips.” She walked off to put the groceries away.

Winry retreated up the stairs with the letter clutched tightly in her hand, her mind a confusing jumble of extreme embarrassment, lust, and thinking up possible responses to Ed.

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

Ed was carrying a stack of books and old scrolls about codemaking when he checked his mailbox next. In the back of his mind, he’d been anxious to know what Winry’s response to what he’d written, expecting her to call him at some point, wondering what the hell had gotten into him. Admittedly, he hadn’t been drunk when he’d _ written  _ it—he’d sobered up a bit when he came back to his apartment that night, but he still had enough liquid courage in his system to write… that. And he remembered every word he wrote, much to his chagrin. It made him blush when he thought about it. Even still, the next morning, something in him said  _ ‘Fuck it’ _ and he put the letter in an envelope, stuffing it in the corner post box before he’d let himself overthink it.

Now, he shifted the many items in his hands under one arm as he dug in his pocket for his mailbox key. When he finally found it and turned it in the lock, he saw the small stack of mail inside. He grumbled, struggling to pick it up and add it to the enormous bundle of items under his arm.

He started up the steps to his door, and then his eyes caught one of the envelopes…

It was Winry’s handwriting.

Ed paled.

_ ‘She wrote me back!’ _

He snatched the envelope out of the items in his arms, causing the rest of what he was carrying to tumble to the ground, down the stairs. Books landed open and askew, face down and haphazard on the steps. The scrolls unfurled, displaying their secrets to anyone who might walk by. The rest of his mail flitted about in the air before landing all around him as he sat in the middle of the flight of stairs, staring at Winry’s letter.

Ed felt his heart pounding as he stared at it, his mind reeling with all the possibilities of what she could have written back to him. Was she furious? Disgusted? Did she want to cancel the wedding?

No, no way. She wouldn’t go that far. He was being stupid.

When he turned the letter over, he saw where the envelope sealed at the point, Winry had drawn a heart in red ink.

Letting out a small gasp, Ed ripped open the letter, and began to read her fancy writing, all in red ink.

_ Ed, _

_ You never fail to surprise me. I couldn’t believe you wrote me something like that, or that I would… inspire something like that in you. _

_ But I like it. _

_ It excited me. _

**_You_ ** _ excite me, Ed. _

_ I think about you too. I think about how warm and big your hands are when they touch me. Everywhere. Anywhere. Rough and strong and confident. _

_ I remember the way they felt in my panties, and the way your fingers slipped inside me so easily. I was so ready for you, Ed. Thinking about it now as I write this, I’m ready all over again, and I just want to lean back at my desk and pretend my hands are yours, if only for a few minutes. I can’t do the magic you performed on me that afternoon under the tree, but I can do other things, other things that make me feel close to you. _

_ Another thing I can’t replicate is the way you felt inside me. Full and hot, throbbing for  _ **_me_ ** _. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the memory of it and I have to close my knees together, but then, when I’m alone, I think about what it would feel like if you pushed inside me, bending me over my workbench… _

_ Is that too much? _

_ Write more to me, Ed. _

_ Forever yours, _

_ Winry _

“Oh dear, are you alright, son?”

Ed jerked back to reality, to the mess he was sitting in the middle of on the stairway. An elderly man was standing at the bottom, looking from Ed to the mess of papers and books and envelopes around him. He coughed, nodding, “Y-Yeah, I’m alright.” He hastily gathered his materials, getting them out of the way for the man, “S-Sorry.”

The man patted him on the back, “You need to be careful with so many things in your arms, especially on these steps.”

“Yeah, silly me,” Ed agreed with a parting smile. He held Winry’s letter tightly to his chest, the other papers and books pressing it firmly in place, protecting it.

Ed’s mind was reeling again, and his legs felt like jelly when he made his way to his apartment. He hoped that was an effect that would fade after the first of many, many rereads.

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

Winry tried to bite back a smile as she worked on a client’s project, picturing what Ed’s face might look like when he read her response. No doubt it would be equally adorable and hilarious. Part of her wanted him to call, but something about this quiet, sexy correspondence was hot. It was secret. It was _ theirs. _

Granny came in from the front door, Den padding beside her. He walked up to Winry expectantly. She smiled down at him and gave his head an affectionate rub, behind his ear. Granny was looking through a bundle of envelopes in her hands, apparently having just been to the mailbox.

“Anything for me?” Winry asked as casually as she could.

Her grandmother’s eyes slid up to meet hers, a knowing smile at her mouth, “Expecting something, dear?”

She shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, but her burning cheeks betrayed her motives, “Just curious.”

Granny chuckled, pulling out an envelope, “Edward sent you something. He must have run out of black ink.”

Winry raised her eyebrows and stood, walking over to her as she handed out the letter. She smiled when she had it in her hands: he’d written back in red ink as well.

She sighed contentedly, turning back to her project on her workstation, “I’ll read it later.” She set the letter down beside her, determined to finish her work before she let herself read it. It would be her reward for a hard day’s work.

When she was finally done, she went to her room and locked her door, ripping open the envelope hurriedly.

_ Oh Winry, _

_ Too much? _

_ Not enough. _

_ Not getting to touch you when you write things like that to me is torture. I wish I could see you at your desk, thinking of me, of us. The image alone makes me claw at my own desk in frustration. _

_ I just want you here, in my lap, wearing that dress… I’d pull your panties aside and have us join together, unable to wait to get undressed. That’s how badly I want you, Winry. I just want to feel you around me, and the way your hips roll in that sinful way, until we both greedily finish. And then, I’ll take you however you want. Over a desk, in the bed, in a field, under the stars… _

_ I just want you. _

_ Everywhere. _

_ Anywhere. _

_ Write to me more, Winry.  _

_ Torture me. _

_ Forever and always yours, _

_ Edward _

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

Ed was rushing. He knew it. That last letter from Winry had done him in. She’d  _ touched _ herself.

For him.

She fantasized.

About  _ him. _

He couldn’t get over it. He was doing his best with developing the code, truly, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her next response, wondering what she might say next.

Ed didn’t have to wait long. Two days after he sent his letter he got another response from Winry, and he stole upstairs to his apartment with the envelope. He tore it open like an animal, but found only a few lines written—still in red ink.

_ Ed, _

_ I want you too. Call me at this date and time (your time), and we can torture each other. I want you to hear me touch myself, and I want to hear you… _

_ In the meantime, enjoy this print I made with a camera prototype I designed. _

_ I’m waiting for you, _

_ Winry _

The date and time she’d written were a couple days from now. It would be early evening for him, but she’d be going to bed at that time in Resembool. She’d also written a phone number he didn’t recognize, but it didn’t matter to Ed—as long as she’d be on the other end.

He found the print she’d enclosed inside the envelope. When he flipped it over and saw the image, his eyes widened.

Somehow she’d positioned the camera over her bed, the sheets messily pulled or kicked down. Winry laid herself on the bed, wearing one of his button up shirts… and nothing else. Her eyes looked up at the camera shyly, an arm positioned just above her head while the other seemed to make a half-hearted attempt to cover her mound, her fingertips just barely reaching the top of blonde curls between her legs. The shirt she wore (his shirt!) did little to hide her perfect, shapely breasts, the buttons completely undone and separated just enough to show her nipples.

Ed gulped.

Two days was too long.

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

Winry bit at her thumbnail, pacing as she waited for Ed’s call. She’d booked a night in a Resembool hotel, hoping for some privacy from Granny. Tonight she wore a white cotton nightgown, and the lace panties she’d worn that first day she and Ed were intimate.

The phone rang, and she nearly snatched it up right away. But, thinking better of it, she calmly sat and answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Ed’s voice came through the other side. “Did I do okay on time?”

She smiled, “Yeah.”

“Where… are you right now? I didn’t recognize the number.”

“The hotel in town here,” she told him. “I figured it would be best this way.”

“Yeah,” Ed said quietly. “I can see that…”

Winry bit her lip, “Did you like the print?”

“Yes,” he said at once, not hiding his enthusiasm. “I’m… looking at it right now. You look… beautiful.”

She blushed, smiling to herself. He didn’t speak nearly as concisely as he wrote, but she liked that. “Thank you,” she said gratefully. Her blush deepened, “There are others I can send you… Different ones.”

“Oh?” His voice sounded husky.

“Mhm.”

“Were you thinking about me in this one?” he asked.

“Oh yes,” she said. “I’m thinking about you now…” Her face was surely red now.

“Tell me.”

She was starting to tingle between her legs. “Your cock,” she told him, surprising herself. Ed sounded surprised too, a little gasp sounded from his end. “I think about it all the time.” She laid herself back onto the pillows, sighing as she closed her eyes. “The way you fill me up, stretch me…” She played with the hem of her short little nightgown, “You’re so big…”

Ed let out a low groan. “Winry…”

“I think about you, pushing into me, over and over,” she said, her confidence building. “From behind… Will you fuck me like that?”

“Yes,” he answered, his breathing heavy. “God, yes.”

“Are you hard for me, Ed?” she asked bluntly, her hand on her inner thigh.

“Yes,” he admitted. “For days… I can’t stop thinking about you, Win…” He grunted softly, “Are you wet for me?”

“Yeah,” she told him. She gasped, dipping her fingers into her panties to feel herself, swollen and slick with need. “I need you,” she whispered.

Ed’s breathing was shallow and heavy. “You’re touching yourself,” he stated, realizing. “Oh, god, Winry…”

She whimpered as she felt herself, rubbing her wetness around her excited clit. She moaned, shuddering from being so sensitive. “Fuck me, Ed,” she breathed lustfully. “Lick me.”

Ed moaned. “I will,” he promised. “Whatever you want, Win… Just let me hear you.”

“Touch yourself with me,” she demanded breathlessly. “Mmn, together… let’s do it together.”

“I am,” he assured her. “I have been… I just don’t… I want to—You drive me crazy when you sound like that…”

Her fingers quickened, rolling her clit in circles. She cried out, whining as she played with herself. “I’m going faster,” she panted. “God, I’m so wet… my panties are soaked…”

“Fuck,” Ed breathed. “Oh fuck yes…”

Winry whimpered softly, her eyebrows knitting together, “E-Ed… Ed, I’m going to—”

“Fuck—Do it, Winry!” he cried.

She gasped sharply a second later, arching off the bed. She writhed in pleasure, moaning into the phone. Ed called out on the other end, a series of grunts and broken attempts at her name following it.

Wetness soaked her fingers, and a sinful satisfaction glowed within her. She smiled easily, closing her eyes as she listened to Ed finish. She turned over in bed, still holding the receiver, “I needed that…”

She heard Ed chuckled tiredly, “Yeah… Me, too. Those letters were pretty distracting.”

“Should we stop?”

“Hell no!” Ed protested.

Winry giggled, “Good. I don’t want to.”

“Me either.”

“You write really well, Ed,” she confessed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I didn’t expect that from you.”

_ “Me?  _ What about _ you? _ I’m almost ready to buy another train ticket with the way  _ you _ write,” he said, and Winry could hear the smirk in his voice. “Sweet Miss Rockbell has such a naughty side.”

She bit her tongue, trying not to laugh at Ed saying the word  _ ‘naughty.’ _ “You brought it out of me, Mister Elric,” she teased. “I was a  _ lady _ until I fell for you.”

“Uhuh,” he murmured doubtfully. She heard sheets rustling on his side—probably changing positions in bed, she guessed. “So, should I let you get to bed, or do you want to go another round?”

Winry made a dramatic, scandalized gasp, “Oh my!” But then she relented, “I can go all night, Edward—you really want to take me on?”

Ed let out a slight laugh, “Heh. More than anything.”

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

_ Damn, I wanted to get this out before Valentine’s Day. Oh well. _

_ Hope you guys had a good holiday. _

_ Stay safe and healthy, _

_ Glacier _


	4. Norepinephrine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed is back from the west, and his plans for the wedding and the future start to fall into place.

_ Alright, here’s the fourth and final chapter, y’all! I’m excited, and I hope you are too! _

**Chemistry**

_ Part IV: Norepinephrine _

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

Ed let out a long puff of breath as he looked at the ruins of his old home. The earth was trying to take back the space, vines of overgrowth spindling their way up the broken wood and partially burnt furniture. The lawn hadn’t been tended to in years, creating a small jungle around the perimeter of the house and the tree in the front yard. The rope that held the swing was rotted from rain, and even though it remarkably still held the swing’s seat in place, it looked like a single touch would send the entire thing into a collapse.

When the announcements of his and Winry’s engagement went out, the two of them had been swarmed with calls congratulating them. Gifts of flower arrangements and sweets arrived at the Rockbell’s daily, and even Ed had received a few when he was still out west.

General Mustang had called him personally to congratulate him, and offered whatever help they might need for the wedding plans. That’s when Ed told him about the plans for his home, and how he wanted to rebuild it —specifically without alchemy. Ed didn’t know that was a stipulation he had until he said it out loud, but Mustang understood why all the same, probably better than anyone (well, besides Alphonse).

At any rate, Mustang said he’d be glad to help Ed with the leveling of the land and the construction of his new home, that he’d be sending his best.

Ed had received a telegram yesterday saying he should expect the arrival of his help the following afternoon. He pondered what that meant as he stared helplessly at the broken, weed-covered home.

“EDWARD ELRIC!”

He barely had time to process the booming, familiar voice before Ed was snatched up in a bone-crushing hug, the admittedly perfect (and thankfully clothed) muscles nearly strangling the life out of him.

“Major,” Ed squeaked, his face pressed into the pecs of his assailant, “good to see you again…”

“AND YOU TOO, SIR!” Armstrong bellowed joyously. “‘TIS A BLESSED DAY TO BE REUNITED WITH FRIENDS, AND EVEN MORE UNDER THESE FORTUITOUS CIRCUMSTANCES!” The Major’s arms squeezed even tighter around him, “TO THINK—THE YOUNG EDWARD ELRIC, THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, TO BE MARRIED! TO HIS CHILDHOOD FRIEND, NO LESS! IT IS THE STUFF OF STORYBOOKS AND LEGEND, AND I, ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG, AM FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO WITNESS IT’S FRUITION!”

Ed heard another familiar voice, laughing not far off, “Major—you’re hurting him.”

“Of course!” Armstrong said at a normal register, letting Ed down at once. “The famous Armstrong Enthusiasm gets the best of me.” His large, meaty hands dusted him off, and Ed peeked around his large frame to see the other figure walking up the path, and then bolted to him.

“Al!” he cried, hugging his brother tightly. “I didn’t know you were coming!”

Alphonse hugged him back just as tight, “I took some time off once I heard you were going to be home, Brother. The Major and I happened to run into each other at the train station, so we walked here together.”

Ed beamed when he pulled away, holding Al at the shoulders. “Let me look at you,” he said, scanning over him. Al was dressed in brown slacks with a nice white shirt tucked into them, topped with a black vest. It must have been hot to wear something like that in the Resembool summer, but his brother didn’t show it.

Armstrong was dressed similarly, though his vest was gray and the collar of his white shirt was adorned with a silk tie of baby blue (that matched his eyes rather well, Ed observed, and was no doubt chosen for that specific reason).

Ed himself was wearing some khaki linen shorts and a black tank top with a pair of sandals, appropriate for the raging summer weather.

They all looked at the land where his and Al’s boyhood home had once stood, all silent for several minutes.

It was Armstrong who spoke first. “Shall we get started then, boys?” he asked.

“You’re gonna wear that?” Ed asked, but it was foolish, for the second the words were coming out of his mouth, Armstrong had freed his torso from his clothing, baring his impressive chest and arms to the world.

Al laughed, setting down his luggage and began unbuttoning his vest, “I guess we better.” He chose to keep his shirt on, but he rolled up the sleeves and let out the first few buttons before he joined the Major.

Ed smiled, taking a deep breath before he started on the work too.

**& & &**

The sun was setting by the time they were done leveling the rest of the house. Even without alchemy, Major Armstrong made quick work of it. He’d ripped out the wood in large chunks, piling it all nearby to use as firewood for another day. After that, Ed and Al helped him turn over the dirt and re-dig the space for a basement. Ed showed them the plans for the house, and that the basement would be twice as big as before, so they had to account for that.

The fact that the base work for building their new house had been done in a single afternoon stunned Ed, but he was beyond grateful.

“I’d say the two of you definitely earned dinner,” Ed said as they finished, climbing out of the massive dirt hole they’d dug. He wiped his brow, watching his brother and the Major follow him out. Al’s nice white shirt, leather shoes, and perfectly creased slacks were now covered in dirt and thoroughly wrinkled.

Armstrong, on the other hand, looked impeccable as always, down to the delicately coiffed blonde loop at the top of his otherwise bald head.

“I’m starved,” Al said, gathering his things. “What about you, Major?”

He nodded as he re-clothed his body, “Yes, I should say I’ve worked up quite the appetite.”

Ed picked up the building plans and jerked his head towards the Rockbell’s, “Well, c’mon then. I know Winry will be glad to see the both of you.”

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

The fragrant scent of roasted chicken filled the kitchen as Winry opened the oven. She’d prepared a bit of a feast tonight, considering neither she or Ed knew how many people were coming to help work on the house—just that  _ someone _ was coming. She let the beautifully roasted poultry rest with the others on the counter and then went to finish setting the table.

The front door swung open and Ed came though, “Hey, Win—look who I found!”

Before she could guess, she was taken into a pair of strong, muscular arms, and she began to suffocate a bit.

“MISS WINRY ROCKBELL!” the arms’ owner shouted cheerfully. “HOW LOVELY YOU LOOK—HOW WONDERFUL IT IS THAT YOU AND EDWARD ELRIC ARE REBUILDING HIS CHILDHOOD HOME TO LIVE OUT YOUR MARRIED DAYS WITHIN ITS WALLS, AND THAT I, ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG, AM BLESSED ENOUGH TO PARTICIPATE IN ITS ERECTION!”

Winry turned her head and saw Ed standing there, his face turned a confused shade of crimson. “Its… what?” Ed repeated. Winry looked at him in desperation, and then he recovered. “Major, please! Let her breathe!” he urged, pulling at one of Armstrong’s massive forearms.

“Of course!” Armstrong relented. “Once again, the famous Armstrong Enthusiasm got the better of me.” He held Winry at the shoulders, “Are you alright, my dear girl?”

Winry giggled, glad to be able to breathe again, “Of course, Major. It’s wonderful to see you.”

“Please! It’s Alex to you, Miss Rockbell,” he told her sternly (but affectionately).

She smiled up at him, “Well, alright then, Alex it is.”

Ed stepped over to her and gestured to the door, “As I was saying—look who I found.”

Winry looked and she let out a happy cry, practically jumping on the unexpected guest, “AL!”

Alphonse laughed, “Easy, Winry. I’m filthy! Don’t let me get you all dirty.”

She held his face and scanned his features, “Oh hush! Let me see you!” She looked him up and down, looking for injuries or changes, “How are you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said warmly with his easy smile. “My hands are covered in blisters, but other than that I’m perfectly healthy.”

Winry sniffed, putting her hands on her hips, “Okay then.” Her eyes surveyed the three of them and she smiled, “Why don’t you boys go upstairs and get washed up before dinner? The chickens need to rest for a bit longer anyway.”

Al looked grateful, “Please, thank you.” He turned and began walking up the stairs with Armstrong. “Major, you look great—you don’t have to clean up.”

Armstrong gave a haughty grunt, “You’re too kind, Alphonse Elric—but look at me! My hair is an absolute mess!”

Ed laughed, watching them, but then he turned back to Winry, stepping close to her but careful not to get dirt on her apron, “Hey, you.”

She grinned pecking him on the lips, “Hey yourself. How did it go?”

He let out a tired breath, “Mustang was right—he really did send his best. The three of us together were able to get a lot done today. We’re ahead of schedule with the house, no doubt about it.”

Winry held his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze, “I’m glad.” She saw how caked in mud and dust he was, clicking her tongue, “But now you need to get upstairs and bathe too. I don’t want you getting your mess all over the dinner table.”

Ed chuckled and came close to her, whispering, “I seem to recall you liking it messy, Miss Rockbell.”

She giggled and swatted him, causing a cloud of dirt to rise off him, “Go, you pervert.”

“You’re one to talk,” he teased, jumping out of the way before she could hit him again. She watched him ascend the stairs, rolling her eyes.

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

Once everyone was cleaned up, they dug into the feast Winry had prepared: three chickens, a gigantic bowl of salad, steaming yeast rolls with butter, and an array of different cooked vegetables as sides. Ed, Al, and Armstrong served themselves plenty of everything. Ed couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d been so hungry.

“A lot has changed in town since I’ve been gone,” Al commented before he took another bite of chicken.

“I know,” Ed agreed with a nod. “Even since I was gone two months ago they’ve built a lot more. Resembool is becoming a popular place for cityfolk to vacation, from what I hear.”

Armstrong politely dabbed his moustache with a napkin before he agreed. “That’s true,” he confirmed. “Several neighbors close to the Armstrong Family Estate have commented they’d like to build summer homes out here, having heard about the gorgeous countryside.”

“There won’t be much countryside left if all the city people come to buy up the land,” Pinako commented. She shrugged, “Though I suppose it’s still good for the town.”

Al perked up, “They can’t be  _ too  _ happy about newcomers to the town. There’s only one hotel, and when I called to make a reservation this afternoon, they refused me.”

“That’s odd,” Armstrong said, his eyes narrowing. “I was able to get a room when I called.”

“I don’t think it was about availability, come to think of it,” he said, pondering. “They were fine with booking a room, but when they asked for my last name to put on the reservation, all of a sudden they weren’t able to fill it.”

At that, Ed reddened and his eyes met Winry’s across the table. Her cheeks turned pink and the two of them became overly interested in the food on their plates.

_ When Ed arrived back in Resembool the week before, Winry was waiting at the train station for him, wearing that dress from their picnic. She threw her arms around his neck when he stepped out to meet her, nearly dropping all his heavy luggage. He took her embrace, however, leaning into it gratefully. Her lips pressed to his eagerly, and he hungrily returned the motion. _

_ “I booked a room,” he breathed raggedly when they parted. _

_ Winry nodded and took his coat and briefcase from him, lightening his load a bit before the two of them rushed off to their private room. _

_ He dropped everything the moment they had the door closed behind them, Winry doing the same. She pulled him towards the desk in the hotel room, and then made him sit before her. She straddled him, and Ed felt his heart racing. _

_ “I want to do this like you said in your letter,” Winry panted. “This way first.” _

_ “Yes,” Ed agreed. It was all he could say. It was all he wanted to say, to Winry. _

_ His clumsy fingers began to undo his belt, and she helped him after a few tries, reaching into his pants when they finally got it all undone. They both gasped when she touched him, and Ed tilted his head back, holding her hips. “I missed you,” she breathed, her breath soft, sweet, and warm against his mouth. _

_ “I missed  _ **_you_ ** _ ,” Ed whispered to her, brushing his lips against hers as his hands crept under her skirt, up her thighs. When his fingers reached her panties, he pulled them aside and felt how ready she was for him. “God, Winry…” _

_ With her hooded eyes meeting his, she guided him with her hand, and then sat on his length with a needy sigh, shivering with delight. She bit her kiss-swollen lip and began to ride him, her hips doing a sensual rhythmic dance in his lap. One of Ed’s hands tightened into a fist, bunching the fabric of her sundress. His eyes closed forcefully, brows knitting together as he let out choked gasps at the feel of her around him, the feel of them together. _

_ Winry reached behind his head and pulled his hair free of his ponytail, running her fingers through it. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, bucking her hips in his lap, letting out sweet little moans with every fluid motion. Ed’s mouth was hanging open, taking large gulps of air, forehead pressed into her collarbone. His arms curled around her possessively, just letting her use him. Eventually, he found the zipper at the back of the dress, and his eager fingers tugged it down roughly. When he pulled the garment apart at the zipper’s split and his hands made contact with her hot, summer-warmed skin, he itched to feel all of her, and he pulled the straps of her dress further down, exposing her. _

_ He began to lay open-mouthed kisses on her collarbone, trailing down to her breasts, flicking his tongue over them. Winry gasped sharply, and cradled his head into them, wordlessly begging for more of his mouth. He did as she bid, his hands sliding up her skirt again to clutch at her backside, feeling the wanton rhythm she set in his lap, helping her go faster. _

_ When it happened, Ed saw stars. He wasn’t sure if he screamed—or if she had—or if the powerful orgasm that swept through the two of them had simply been too much for their throats to vocalize, but they clung to each other when the aftershocks surged through them, laying urgent, hasty kisses over each other’s mouths. _

What followed after that was a blur of hot flesh and rattling furniture, and by the time they’d exhausted themselves into an intoxicating stupor, the hotel’s management was knocking on their door, appalled at the sounds coming from their room. Ed and Winry were promptly banned from the hotel for the foreseeable future (the manager had even taken their picture to be distributed to the staff), and practically pushed out the front doors.

They hadn’t cared though, Ed remembered, smiling at his dinner plate. They’d walked along the dirt road snickering to themselves, letting the evening summer breeze cool their cheeks.

He dared another look at Winry, and he could tell she was reminiscing right along with him.

“Why are the two of you wanting to check into a hotel anyway?” Pinako asked indignantly. “You’re more than welcome to stay here with us.”

Al looked sheepish, “I just thought it would be easier for me to be out of the way with the wedding plans going on.”

Armstrong agreed with a firm nod, “Yes. I, too, thought it best I stay out of your proverbial hair.”

“Nonsense,” Pinako objected with a wave of her hand. She puffed her pipe and gave the two of them a stern look, “You both are more than welcome to stay here. Always.”

“You are most generous, Ms. Rockbell,” the Major said, humbled.

Al murmured in agreement, “Yeah, thank you, Pinako.”

The trio looked at Ed and Winry, who hadn’t spoken for several minutes, apparently.

Ed cleared his throat, forking another bite of chicken, “Yeah. The more the merrier.”

“Mhm,” Winry agreed cheerfully with a sweet smile at them both.

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

Ed’s hand traced lines up and down her arm as Winry draped herself over his chest, both naked between her sheets. It had taken a lot of restraint on both of their parts, but they had managed to have a quiet session of lovemaking after dinner. When Al had brought up the hotel situation, Winry couldn’t stop the memories from that day flooding her mind’s eye. They rushed around in her head like a tornado, replaying different moments over and over again until she itched to have Ed in her arms again.

Her eyes saw the large stack of letters on the work desk in her room, all written and addressed to her in red ink. She bit into her wicked smile, knowing Ed had an identical stack of her responses in his briefcase (along with several tawdry prints of her in different positions and expressions, having displayed herself to him on this very bed).

“What are you thinking about?” Ed asked with a teasing nudge. She looked up to see him smirking down at her. “You’re grinning like a little fiend.”

She pressed her lips to his chest, right where his pectoral muscles met his abdomen. “Just… memories,” she answered sweetly.

He murmured his understanding, nodding. “Yeah.”

Winry didn’t know if she liked the letters or the phone calls more. Over the two months Ed was away, they would send each other letters until the tension grew so tight and hot that they had to release it over a phone call. In the end, she decided, it didn’t matter—she loved both of them, but they paled in comparison to their depraved reunion, when they could actually see, touch, and feel each other, acting out their written words and breathy promises over the phone in a wild frenzy. The memory of Ed bending her over the desk in that little hotel room, making it crash into the wall with her skirt pushed up and her panties around her ankles—it was so strong she had to bury her face into his chest, grinning—as Ed put it—like a little fiend.

She would be amazed if she wasn’t pregnant already.

“What’s so funny?” Ed asked, intruding on her reverie.

She suddenly realized she’d been laughing softly. She propped her chin up on her hand, looking at him with a shake of her head, “You and I are just… We’re like rabbits, aren’t we?”

He chuckled with her, agreeing, “That’s one way to put it.”

Winry cocked an eyebrow, smiling curiously, “How would  _ you _ put it?”

Ed let out a breath, blowing his bangs out of his face as he thought. “We’re definitely like wild animals,” he said, continuing his invisible line drawings on Winry’s arm. “We maul each other,” he laughed. “Like… Like…  _ wolves,” _ he decided finally.

She hummed, nodding, “Yes, I see that now. It definitely suits that grin of yours.” Her fingertip reached to trace his bottom lip, and Ed flashed a smile for her. “Very  _ wolfish.” _

“I kinda like the idea of you being a bunny rabbit, though,” Ed told her, sliding down into the covers to meet her at eye-level. He pulled her close, and nibbled on her shoulder. “My little bunny-bun.”

Winry snorted with laughter as he continued to tickle her with love bites. Her fingers ran into his hair and she sighed, still chuckling quietly, “Yes, and you’re my big, ferocious wolf-man.”

Ed was nibbling down between her breasts now. _ “Enormous _ wolf-man,” he corrected, muffled against her skin.

_ “Gigantic,” _ she agreed with another sigh.

He was at her stomach now, placing an open-mouthed kiss above her belly button, growling,  _ “Massive.” _

Winry bit her lip, nodding slowly. “Coloss—Colo—” she squeaked, struggling as his hot breath crossed over her center.

Ed’s tongue began to do that  _ thing… _

Her toes curled against the mattress. 

Her hands fisted in his golden hair. 

Her eyes stared deliriously at her ceiling.

“Say it,” Edward growled from under the sheets, cruelly stopping that… that  _ thing _ with his tongue.

Winry whined, bucking. He firmly held her down.

_ “Colossal,” _ she begged, breathing up at her ceiling.

And then he began again, mauling her with his hungry, demanding mouth.

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

With the help of Armstrong (as well as a dozen other military men and Resembool neighbors), the house was finished by the end of the summer. Ed could hardly believe it. It didn’t really hit him until the builders dropped the keys in his hands, and as he stared at it with Al by his side, he felt himself choke up.

It was happening. It was real.

He’d already seen the inside of it when he’d done the final walkthrough, but not with the keys. Not after unlocking the door to his new home, his rebuilt home.

The home where his children would grow up.

Winry hadn’t seen it yet. He wanted to surprise her, and she was more than happy to indulge him. She was on her way to look through it for the first time with him, and with Al—she just had to finish up with a client.

The house didn’t look too much like the old one—that was something Ed insisted on, and it was another stipulation he didn’t know he had before he started drawing up the plans for it. The outside was painted dark blue, and the large windows had white shutters. It was bigger than he thought it would be in real life, towering over them with its three floors. The left corner was shaped in a kind of hexagon, looking almost like a tower at the very top with its circular spire. Ed smiled when he looked at it, having thought if he and Winry ever had a girl, she might like that as her room. She could pretend she was a princess in her own castle. He hadn’t shared that with anyone, having kept it to himself.

Otherwise, he thought, it could be a good reading room, or study.

The porch wrapped all the way around, the floors painted black while its railing was starkly white. There was a white bench swing at the right side corner, set diagonal so it could face out into the open fields of Resembool.

There were freshly dug flower beds around every side of the house, for them to plant flowers or a vegetable garden. There was a set of stone steps that lead to the basement, a private entrance for Winry’s workshop.

The only thing that remained from Ed and Al’s old home was the big tree in the front yard, and a new rope swing fitted on its strongest branch.

“Oh, wow,” Winry gasped, coming up the road behind them. She curled her arms around Ed’s waist, staring up at it in wonder. Her eyes watered.

“You guys ready to go in?” he asked them, beaming.

“Please!” she said excitedly, and Al nodded with her.

They walked up to the front door, and Ed handed Winry one of the keys, and then did the same for Al. He looked shocked for a moment, but Ed just shook his head, “Of course you get one, dummy. Don’t look at me like that.” He looked down at Winry, “I got one for Pinako, too. And a spare.” Nodding at the door, he said, “Why don’t you do the honors?”

She gave him a grateful look and unlocked the door with her key. The moment she saw the inside of their new home, even just from the porch, it seemed to really hit her. It was theirs.

Ed watched Winry run inside and flit about the downstairs rooms, chuckling at her excitement. Al surveyed her with him, his hands in his pockets.

Ed showed them through the various rooms on each floor. Winry squealed with delight when she saw the workshop in the basement, all her new tools and machines to tinker with till her heart’s content.

Winry was exploring the top floor when Ed and Al arrived at a large bedroom with its own bathroom attached. “So what’s this room?” Al asked curiously. “This isn’t the master bedroom, and it’s bigger than the guest rooms.”

Ed smiled, leaning against the doorframe, “I was thinking this could be your room, Al.”

He whipped around to face his brother, “What?”

“Your room,” he repeated. “For whenever you decide to visit us from Xing.” He grinned broader, “Or when we make you come home to babysit our kids.”

“Ed…” Al’s voice was barely above a whimper, and his eyes were swimming.

Ed chuckled and rolled his eyes playfully, walking over to him. He put his hands on his brother’s shoulders, “I told you that you’d always have a home wherever I am, Al. And I meant it. It’s yours, for as long as you want it.”

Al looked around the large room, unsure, “D-Does Winry—”

Ed nodded, “She knows. We both came up with the idea.”

His brother’s forehead fell on his shoulder, and he began to sob with his arms at his sides. “Thank you,” he sniffed weakly.

“Hey, none of that now,” Ed told him gently, giving him a few pats on his back. “We want you in our life, Al. C’mon.”

Winry walked by the door frame at that point, pausing when she saw the scene inside. Her eyes softened when Ed looked at her, and he gave her a crooked smile. “Al, you know how much we love you,” she said sweetly. She came over and hugged the both of them in her arms, “Of course we would have a place for you.” Al raised his tearful face to look at her, and Winry cupped his cheek, smiling at him. “I know you’re emotional right now, but there’s something important I want to ask you, Al, if it’s alright.”

“Okay,” Alphonse replied, taking a deep breath.

Ed knew what she wanted to ask, and he put a hand on her shoulder before she said it, smiling at her in encouragement.

“I realize you’re Ed’s best man, Alphonse,” she told him, “and my father is long gone, but I was wondering… would you walk me down the aisle?”

Ed watched his brother’s eyes well up with tears once again, and he threw his arms around Winry. 

“Of course!” he shouted a little too loudly. “Now will the two of you please quit making me cry?!”

**& & &**

Ed’s hands were shaking as he buttoned his vest, stealing a glance out the window of the master bedroom. “There are so many people here,” he whispered in horror.  _ “Every _ single one RSVP’d, didn’t they?”

Al straightened his bowtie, sighing in frustration. “Yes, because you were an important part of their lives—everyone you invited—and they want to see you get married. Now put the jacket on,” he demanded. “I have to get to Winry soon.”

He did as he was told, unsure of what else he could do. Once he was fully dressed, he looked at himself in the floor length mirror nearby, his eyes frantically looking over his appearance. “Do I look okay?” he asked, panicked.

Ed’s suit was one he designed with a tailor in Resembool, a man who had to talk him out of ridiculous fabrics and styles in his shop along with his own brother. Originally he wanted a bright red suit with black accents, and tried to have the silk vest made from a black silk patterned with skulls embroidered in silk threads all over.

Looking back, not making that suit was a good call. (But maybe for another occasion, he hoped.)

The one they’d all settled on kept some of the color elements he’d wanted. The jacket was black velvet with black satin lapels. The vest was a deep, blood red with subtle roses embroidered in it, and a matching pocket square sat in the pocket on his chest. The shirt was a simple white underneath it all, but it was made of a luxurious material that was both smooth and cooling on his skin.

“Yes,” Al answered, flicking the cuffs of his shirt. Al’s suit was also black velvet, but his vest was a dark blue satin. He looked great. He  _ always _ looked great, Ed thought, annoyed.

He sighed, smoothing the top of his head, “How’s my hair? Should I braid it instead?”

“No, you look fine, Ed,” his brother told him.

“I don’t want to look just _ fine, _ Al! I’m getting  _ married!” _

“You both look handsome,” a voice said from the doorway.

They looked to see Izumi standing there, leaning in the frame and smiling warmly at them both.

“Teacher!” they both said in unison.

Ed went over and hugged her tightly, “I’m so glad you’re here, Teacher.” He genuinely felt relieved by her presence, easing his nervousness some.

She laughed, pulling away to brush her thumb on his cheek, shaking her head at him, “When are the two of you going to stop calling me that?”

“Never,” Al protested, and Ed nodded with him.

She rolled her eyes but kept her smile, giving Al a hug as well. Her dress was simple, black, and sleeveless—not unlike her usual white coat (though the neckline wasn’t anywhere near as deep). Silver chains dangled from her neck, and her braids were gathered in a more elegant fashion than usual.

“I need to get going, Ed,” Al told him. He looked to Izumi, “I’m glad to see you, Teacher, but I’m going to see Winry.”

She nodded, “We’ll talk later, sweetheart.”

“Just make sure he doesn’t run out the back!” Al went to jog down the stairs, and then Izumi turned back to Ed, lifting a brow.

“Would you really do that?” she asked pointedly.

“Of course not,” Ed protested. “I’m just nervous… all those people out there.” He looked towards the window again.

She chuckled, adjusting his bowtie, “Well, there’s nothing you can do about it now. They’re all here, for the both of you.”

He swallowed and took the vows he’d written out of his pocket, sighing, “I wrote all this sappy stuff—she told me to write the way I wrote letters to her—” Ed’s face reddened, and Izumi noticed, looking curious, but she thankfully didn’t ask why. “So I just… I’m going to make a fool of myself out there.”

Izumi sighed, placing her hands on his shoulders. Her black eyes fiercely gazed into his, as she had so many times when he was growing up, “Do you love her? Do you want this, you’re sure?”

“Yes,” Ed said at once. “She’s the only thing I’m sure about. I’m jus—”

She put a finger over his mouth, and shook her head, “Then nothing else matters, Edward. If you make a fool of yourself, then you make a fool of yourself—but you’ll be married to the woman you love by the end of this day. Just think about her. No one else.”

Ed nodded, feeling determined now, “Alright.”

She smiled, “That’s my Edward. You have _ nothing _ to be afraid of.”

He smiled with her. “No,” he agreed. Ed took her hand, “How are you feeling today?"

Izumi took his face in her hands and brought his forehead to her mouth, giving it a loving kiss that finally, truly calmed him.

_ “Proud,” _ she told him, her voice wavering slightly. She sniffed, “Now go get married, you silly boy.”

**WR WR WR WR WR WR WR**

Winry’s heart pounded as she put her earrings on, and she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She’d forgone the usual ones she wore, instead wearing a pair of simple studs with clear, sparkling stones. Garfiel had just finished her hair and went to take his seat with the other guests, but gave her a kiss on the cheek before he left. The only ones that remained with her were Paninya, her grandmother, and Riza Hawkeye. 

Riza had been surprised when Winry asked her to be a bridesmaid, but accepted it humbly. Paninya had complained about being one in the first place, saying she didn’t want to wear a dress, but said she’d do it for Winry as a gift. Winry suspected she might feel self-conscious in the strapless midnight blue dresses she’d picked out for them, since the slits up one side would reveal her automail legs—but she didn’t seem bothered at all, and actually looked like she felt beautiful in it.

She turned and straightened out her gown, making sure it was perfect. It was a simple, flowy gown that flared outward from under her bust in layers of white, sheer fabric that was just as smooth as it was delicate. A baby blue sash was tied around her waist, threads of silver catching the afternoon light coming through the window.

Garfiel had gathered her hair up in individual curls at the crown of her head, some falling effortlessly and elegantly around the back of her neck and framing her face. He’d placed little blue flowers here and there, scattered about the pinned curls, and then all in a line in front of the comb for her veil, to hide it. Her makeup was minimal, having only swiped a bit of mascara over her eyelashes and dabbed a bit of rosy pink lip balm over her lips.

Her grandmother had insisted she follow the tradition of “something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new,” so various things on her person applied to it: a delicate chain bracelet with clear stones (new, from Ed, but presented to her by Granny that morning), a jeweled brooch that fastened her sash at the back (borrowed from Granny, something she’d worn at her own wedding years ago), and her something blue was all over her—in the flowers in her hair, the sash around her waist, and the garter around her thigh.

Winry stood before her bridesmaids and her grandmother, taking another deep breath. “Okay,” she said, resolute. She gathered her bouquet off her bed—a modest arrangement of blue and white hydrangeas—and set out of her bedroom for the last time.

As she made it down the stairs and stepped on the landing, she heard a breathy gasp of disbelief.

“Oh, _ Winry…” _

The look on Al’s face when she saw him made her heart melt, and she reached for his hand when she was close enough. He took it, pressing his mouth to her fingers in a light kiss. “You’re practically glowing,” he said, marvelling at her. “You look like an angel.”

Her cheeks burned and she looked away bashfully, “Stop.”

“You know,” he murmured quietly, leaning in close, “it’s not too late to marry me instead.”

She swatted his arm, laughing, “Stop it!”

Al joined her, giving her fingers another gentle kiss. “No,” he said. “You were always his.”

“And he was always mine,” Winry agreed. She took another deep breath. “Okay,” she said, looping her arm in his after moving her veil over her face, “take me to my man.”

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

When Ed saw the two carriages leaving the Rockbell’s, he took his place by the front door of the new house. All their guests were seated facing him, but he focused on the horizon, watching the horse-drawn carriages get closer.

Major Armstrong had taken over most of the wedding preparations, and while most of his decorations were elegant and tasteful, the carriages had to be the most ridiculous things Ed had ever seen. The first one—that carried Pinako, Paninya, and Hawkeye—was smaller and a brown-black color, but was finely made with rich wood paneling on the sides, polished till it shined like a mirror. Two slender black horses pulled it behind them and stopped when the doors were centered with the aisle.

Ed smiled at Pinako when she walked up with Den on his lead, nodding at her when she took her seat in the front. Paninya and Hawkeye were next. Paninya stuck out her tongue at him, but Hawkeye gave him a sly little grin with a wink.

The next carriage—Winry’s carriage—looked like something out of a fairy tale. It was a glittery silver-blue, shaped like a ball, and the wheels were pure white. It was pulled by a pair of horses that looked like they were carved from giant pearls, and their manes looked like spun strands of gold.

The door opened and the guests stood.

Ed swallowed.

First, Al stepped out, and then bowed, offering his hand to the other passenger…

...to Winry.

Even with the veil obscuring her face, Ed thought she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and when the realization hit him that she was  _ his _ bride, that she was walking down that aisle to  _ him, _ he didn’t know whether he wanted to cheer up at the sky in celebration or run through the town of Resembool and gloat to every man he saw,  _ “Ha! She’s  _ **_mine_ ** _! She picked  _ **_me_ ** _! The best girl in the world picked  _ **_this_ ** _ loser, and I’m not ever letting her go!” _

But when she got up to the porch steps and Al lifted the veil from her face, Ed felt like he might shoot to the moon.

And the way she  _ looked _ at him…

Unforgettable.

Ed took her hand to help her up the two steps as Al joined him at his side. He looked into her eyes. “Hey beautiful,” he murmured to her.

Winry smiled shyly. “Hey handsome,” she murmured back.

Their officiant’s massive frame stepped out of the front door to stand before the two of them, facing their crowd of friends and family.

“DEARLY BELOVED!” he bellowed, scaring the absolute shit out of Ed and Winry, as well as their wedding party and at least the first three rows of guests. Ed swore he could hear Mustang laughing out there. “WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY TO WITNESS THE UNION OF TWO YOUNG PEOPLE—TWO OF THE KINDEST AND MOST GENEROUS PEOPLE I, ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG, HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF KNOWING—AND TODAY I HAVE THE ILLUSTRIOUS OPPORTUNITY—NAY, **DUTY** —TO OFFICIATE!

“IN THE INTEREST OF BREVITY, THE COUPLE HAS REQUESTED TO SIMPLIFY THEIR CEREMONY, AND THUS HAVE PREPARED THEIR OWN VOWS!” Armstrong turned to Winry, giving her a nod, “Miss Rockbell, please begin.”

She gave him a grateful look and dipped her fingers into the sash at her waist, pulling out a notecard. She took a breath, looked Ed in the eye with a soft smile, and said, “100.”

She put the card back in her sash.

Ed grinned, and then snickered, Winry joining him. “100,” he agreed. There was a murmur of confusion from the crowd, and Ed pulled out his notes. “Mine’s a little longer,” he joked, earning a bit of laughter from everyone. He cleared his throat and began to read to her.

“Winry, I don’t know what else I can tell you that I haven’t told you over the last few months. I don’t know how else to say I’ve loved you since we were kids. I don’t know how else to say I think you’re the most kindhearted person on Earth. I don’t know how else to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I don’t know how else to say I’m sorry for making you worry about me all those years, and for bickering with you about things you were probably right about _ —probably,”  _ Ed said again, holding a finger up. More laughter from the guests sounded, and he heard Al chuckling behind him. He turned slightly, looking at his brother, “You shut up.” But he laughed, and Winry was too, shaking her head.

Ed went on, earnestly and honestly, “I don’t know how else to say you’re the first thing that came to mind when I thought about what I wanted for myself, when I thought about what I wanted out of life. I don’t know how else to say that I want to fill this house with laughter and love—with  _ you. _ And I don’t know how else to say I love you other than  _ marry me. _ Here. Today. Now. I’m yours, Winry. Forever and always.” His eyes softened and he kissed her fingers, her engagement ring, “100.”

Winry sniffed and nodded, “100.”

Armstrong was sniffling as well, but he sobered himself up, turning to Alphonse, “The rings, Alphonse Elric.” Al dutifully handed the box with their rings to him. Both Ed and Winry knew what they looked like. Winry had made Ed’s herself, from the original automail arm he had as a kid. She’d polished it, and it gleamed in the sunlight as she held it in her hand. On the inside of the band, she’d lovingly engraved _ Alchemy Freak. _

Ed had found Winry’s wedding band at a jeweler in town, who miraculously had a ring that would go with her unique engagement ring. It was a gold band, slightly wider than the tourmaline ring, but the outside of it was etched and shaped like leaves. On the inside of the band, Ed had the jeweler engrave it with  _ Gearhead. _

They said their ring vows eagerly, and then looked to Armstrong when they were finished. He was beaming (well, he seemed to be, through his mustache).

“AND NOW, WITH THE POWER VESTED IN ME BY THE GREAT COUNTRY OF AMESTRIS—I, ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG, PRONOUNCE YOU HUSBAND AND WIFE!” His intense, sparkling blue eyes landed on Ed, “Edward Elric,  _ kiss her, _ you silver-tongued devil!”

Ed didn’t need to be told twice.

His mouth found hers in an instant, and she sighed a lovely sigh when his arms wrapped around her, holding her and never wanting to let go.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN—I, ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG, HAVE THE GREAT PLEASURE TO PRESENT TO YOU, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, EDWARD AND WINRY ELRIC!”

A camera flashed and clicked as they continued to kiss. Their guests clapped and cheered for them. When they parted, Ed pressed his forehead to hers. 

“I love you,” he whispered.

Winry smiled a happy, tearful smile. “And I love you.”

**WE WE WE WE WE WE WE**

The evening went by in a blur of joyous celebration for them, and Winry was elated, sailing through all of it. She and Ed greeted and mingled with their guests. She made a point to find the two men Ed had told her about, the ones who’d saved him at Briggs—and she thanked them with everything she had. She danced with both of them gladly. She danced with Alphonse, Alex Armstrong, Roy Mustang, and a man in a Xingese mask that sounded an awful lot like Ling (who had previously said he couldn’t attend due to political reasons, but also curiously offered to pay for half of the catering).

Later in the evening, Alphonse gave a touching speech for them that made her cry. Paninya gave one that made her laugh. But then Roy Mustang came up to the mic once the floor was open to other guests.

“I don’t think there’s a person on Earth who has worked harder than Edward Elric to get where he is right now,” Mustang said. “Months ago, Ed called me out of the blue and we had a conversation…” Ed’s arm was around her at this point, and she felt him tense, but said nothing as Mustang continued. “We talked about a lot of things, but truthfully, the one thing that stuck with me after that phone call was what Ed told me about you, Winry. He said, _ ‘Winry is my first love. And if I’m lucky, she’ll be my only.’” _ Mustang raised his glass of champagne to Ed, “I think you’re lucky, FullMetal—and I can’t think of anyone more deserving than you to be that lucky. I wish you both a long and truly enriching life together. Cheers, to the both of you.”

Ed relaxed next to her, and he raised his own glass in thanks. Winry did the same with her water, smiling at him gratefully.

After that, Winry was sat in the middle of the dancefloor while Ed made a show of taking off her garter, pretending to forget which leg she’d put it on before finally ducking his head under her dress to pull it down with his teeth. Her cheeks were burning and her face was in her hands by the time he’d launched it into the crowd of bachelors.

“Ling” snatched it out of the air above Roy Mustang’s fingertips, and the General looked at the masked man in annoyance.

Winry tossed her bouquet after that, and even though Mei was aggressively trying to get underneath it, the flowers ended up in the hands of none other than Riza Hawkeye, who looked mighty pleased with herself.

It was late by the time Ed helped her back into her fancy carriage, the both of them waving goodbye through its back window. When the reception was out of view, Ed pulled her into his lap and kissed her the entire way to the private cabin he’d arranged for their wedding night.

The carriage driver dropped them off with their overnight bags and told them he’d be back tomorrow afternoon to pick them up before rolling away.

Ed practically kicked the door open with Winry cradled in his arms, carrying her across the threshold and laying her down on the big, comfy bed covered in rose petals. He kissed her, long and slow and filled with passion. He retreated only to get their bags and shut the door behind them.

After that…

She was his.

**& & &**

_ “Edward,” _ she whispered to him later that night, laying across his chest.

“Mm?” Ed mumbled sleepily, nuzzling her. “What is it?”

Winry grinned, cupping his cheek, “Look at me.”

He opened his eyes, looking at her curiously.

She brushed his bangs back, winding a strand of his lightly tangled hair around her finger. “I’m pregnant,” she confessed, beaming.

He was awake at once, holding her face in his hands. His golden eyes were watering, “You are?”

Winry nodded.

“How far along?”

“A few weeks,” she said.

Ed pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes. Tears fell down his cheeks. “Oh, Winry,” he breathed.

“100?” she asked him.

He nodded, “100. One-fucking-hundred.”

**IC IC IC IC IC IC IC**

Izumi walked a little farther away from the reception once it started to die down, not knowing where she was going at first. But she soon realized she had a destination, smiling solemnly when she spotted the graveyard. She walked the rows of headstones, reading each one.

And then she found her.

She knelt in front of the headstone, tracing the weathered carving of the name with her fingertips. Izumi stole a glance at the other headstone next to it, nodding in a silent greeting.

“They’re fine boys,” Izumi said to the wife’s headstone. “The best boys.” She pressed her fingertips to her lips and then touched the name on the cool stone, “Thank you, Trisha… for letting me borrow them for a little while. I think they’re gonna be alright.”

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

Their son was born on a cool morning in April. Strong, beautiful, and screaming into his new world.

They named him Edwin.

**EE EE EE EE EE EE EE**

_ Thank you guys so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it! I’ll write Roy and Riza’s perspective on this story sometime soon. Let me know what you think! _

_ And as always, y’all stay healthy, safe, and warm, _

_ Glacier _


End file.
